To Hell and Back
by Llandaryn
Summary: Sinisalo -- Sin, to her friends, and Boss, to her kobold companion -- has answered the call for a saviour, issued by the Lords of Waterdeep. But she never would have imagined where she would end up...
1. The Broken City

To Hell and Back

_1. The Broken City_

I looked down at the city in front of me. Waterdeep. I'd heard so much about it, but never before had I seen it with my own eyes. As it turns out, the stories are much nicer than the reality.

From what I could see, Waterdeep was a broken city, more like a ghost-town than a thriving metropolis. But perhaps I'm being unfair. Two days ago, as I was making my way towards the place, a merchant travelling in the opposite direction told me that the Lords, seemingly powerless to halt the invasions into the streets, had imposed a curfew. Now, anybody who didn't have genuine reason to be out on the streets, was confined to their home. Allowances were made only for guards and adventurers who had come to answer the call of the Lords of Waterdeep.

The sun was well below the horizon as I made my way along the cobblestone road, heading towards the nearest gate. I was conscious that my skin was dusty and my clothes were travel-stained, and, as I expected, the guards stopped me as I neared the gate and asked me to state my business. I smiled at them, because my mother had taught me that good manners didn't cost a penny. I had never forgotten those words of wisdom, even when I had taken to running wild in the streets of Baldur's Gate.

"My name is Sinisalo. I'm here to answer the call for adventurers. I did send word by pigeon that I would come... perhaps you have been expecting me?"

"Sinisalo?" asked one guard, running a skeptical eye over me. "I'd heard that you were coming, but I thought it was just a rumour being tossed around by desperate people."

"You don't look much like the hero outta Shadows of Undrentide," said a second guard, leaning casually on his pike to run a most inappropriate eye over me. I winced as he mentioned the novel.

"Ah, you've read the book then? Unfortunately, the writer has a tendency for exaggeration. I can assure you that I am she, and Lathander strike me down if I'm lying. And if that isn't good enough for you, I can always leave. There are plenty of people who are deserving of my help, and I will leave it to you to explain to the Lords why I was turned away."

"No need to be so hasty!" the guard said quickly. "I'm sorry for doubting you, Milady. Of course you may enter... we're only charged with keeping out dodgy types and monsters... and you don't look like either!"

I smiled again. Had he seen me in broad daylight, and without my long, flowing cloak, he might have thought otherwise. I had changed, in some ways, since the story of my largest adventure to date had gone public and sold out. But in other ways, I was still the same, and old habits die hard. I was tired, dirty, and hungry. All of those things needed addressing.

"My thanks. Perchance you can point me in the direction of an inn or tavern?"

"All adventurers are to report to the Yawning Portal." He pointed to the roof of a building several streets away. "That's Durnan's place, and he's the one in charge of assembling the adventuring party. He's actually been down there, you know... nobody else has done that and come back."

"An amazing feat," I agreed. I had no idea who "Durnan" was, or where "down there" was supposed to mean, but I didn't want to seem ignorant. I would learn all that I needed to know, in time.

"Er, Milady?" said the first guard. "Do you think, maybe, that once you're settled at the Portal... well, maybe... if I brought my copy of Undrentide, would you be able to sign it for me? I read it to my kids every night, and they'd be ecstatic if the actual real hero was to sign it for them."

"Of course." I slipped two silver coins from my purse, and tossed them to the guards. "And once you're done with your shifts, buy yourselves a drink."

"Thank you, Milady!" they both said, bowing and touching their helmets respectfully. I gave them a slight nod of my head, and set off to the building which had been indicated to me.

I had learnt -- the hard way -- that guards could either be your best friends or the greatest annoyance an adventurer could encounter. All it took was one guard who thought you were looking at him askance, who thought that because you were tired and dusty that he was better than you, and you were sitting in a cell listening to some dull little magistrate drone on and on about breaches of laws. Now, wherever I went, I made a point of getting on the good side of local guards.

The Yawning Portal seemed comely enough, at least on the outside. Light spilled out into the street from its stained-glass windows, and from within, music was just audible. I made an attempt at brushing off the dust from my clothes, though it made little difference, and stepped into the tavern. A young dark-haired woman immediately approached me, offering a small bow.

"Welcome to the Yawning Portal, my lady. My name is Tamsil. What can I do for you this evening?"

"I was directed here by the guards," I told her without preamble. "My name is Sinisalo, and I'm here to speak to Durnan regarding his adventuring party."

"Durnan is my father, he runs this inn. But he won't be speaking to adventurers until the morning," the girl smiled. Then a look of comprehension dawned on her face. "Wait, you're **the** Sinisalo? The hero of..."

"Yes, that's correct," I interrupted quickly. This was a familiar scene wherever I went, and I didn't want anybody over-hearing the girl and rushing over to express their awe and admiration for me. Sometimes I _really_ wish Deekin hadn't written his damned book. "I don't mean to be rude, but I'm very tired from travelling. Do you have any rooms?"

"Oh yes, of course, please forgive me. I'll show you to one right away! Can I take your bag?" she asked, reaching for my backpack. I immediately took a step backwards.

"Ah, no. It's warded. Unless you feel a sudden urge to explode into a thousand little chunky bits, I wouldn't touch it if I were you."

The girl withdrew her hand as if I had told her my bag were a viper, and a look of horror passed across her face.

"Oh, ah, well... if you'd like to follow me, then?" I nodded for her to lead the way, and she took me up the stairs and along a corridor. As we walked, I made note of the windows, exits, and other bedroom doors. It always paid to know the quickest exit routes out of a building. That was something else I had learnt the hard way.

The room Tamsil showed me to was of a decent size, with a comfortable bed. I kicked off my boots and sank down onto the mattress, heaving a massive sigh of relief. Everybody takes beds for granted. It is only after months on the road that you come to appreciate the simple pleasures of life; a comfortable mattress, a warm plate of something edible, and a pint of beer that isn't too stale. The Yawning Portal had these things in abundance. As I lay back, familiarising myself with the ceiling, Tamsil saw fit to bring me a plate of something warm and a glass of something cool. I thanked her, ushered her out of the room, and tucked into my food with a vengeance.

By the Gods, it was good to have a roof over my head again. There's a feeling of safety you get from being surrounded entirely by solid walls. Sure, you sacrifice the freedom of the open land, but there's no need to set up camps, to arrange rotas of who's keeping watch, to be constantly ready for battle.

I polished off the food, quaffed the ale so quickly that it would have made any dwarf proud, and rid myself of my dirty clothes. I washed myself with water from the stand, noting how it turned grey, then brown, and finally black, as I scrubbed days' worth of dirt from my body. Then I put my backpack inside a chest -- you can never be too safe, I always say -- and crawled into bed. I nestled down under the quilts, pulling them upto my neck, feeling the bed warm with the heat of my body. Tomorrow I would find out what adventures awaited me with this tavern-keeper, this 'Durnan'. But for now, sleep beckoned.


	2. The Yawning Portal

_2. The Yawning Portal_

I dreamt that night of disturbing things. Dark places and dark creatures, and two women who watched me. Though I could not discern their purpose, I sensed that they watched me independent of each other, neither aware that the other was watching too. I have never enjoyed voyeurism, nor being the object of the attention of strangers. That is why I always wear my cloak when I am outside. But more on that later.

My dream left me feeling somewhat paranoid, and vulnerable. I woke to the darkness of pre-dawn, despite being tired from travelling, and rolled over in bed in an attempt to get comfortable and drift off back to sleep. But as I settled back down, some small sound caught my attention.

Outside, camping in the wilds, I would have missed it. But absolute silence, removed from the small sounds of nature, creates a vacuum. Sound tries to fill the emptiness, and it was such a sound that I heard now. It couldn't have been anything more than the sound of cloth moving over somebody's body, but it was enough to wake me fully. Were I a dog, my ears would have been up and my hackles rising.

I slipped my hand underneath my pillow to grasp the handle of the dagger I had put there last night - another hard-earned lesson, as you might have guessed - and slowly I began to move from my bed.

In light that only an elf or dwarf could have seen by, I maneuvered past the chair and the desk, until I was stood behind a slender figure who was outlined in my vision. Everything about the figure screamed 'elf'. He, or she, was shorter than me, slender, and obviously had excellent dark-vision, to be stood so precisely in front of my chest of belongings. Then, as I watched, the figure crouched down, made a gesture over the chest, and it was enveloped in a bright yellow light.

By this light I saw that the intruder was indeed an elf, and a woman. I also noticed that her skin was darker than any other elf I had seen. Too late I realised that my chest was fading, transported somewhere beyond my grasp. That's when I felt my anger rising. Everything I owned had been inside that chest... my weapons, my armour, my books, my potions, my **money**!

Without a second thought I launched myself at the elf, plunging my dagger into her back as we both tumbled to the floor. Clearly she hadn't been expecting _my_ night vision to be as good as hers. My dagger had found its mark, severing her vertebrae. She lay gasping for breath, dying, as I fumbled for the tinderbox on the fireplace. Even as I found it, and started a fire in the hearth, the woman's gasps ceased as her soul left her body. But I did not pray to Lathander for her; whoever she was, she was a criminal, and deserved nothing but punishment.

My bedroom door flew open, and I whirled around, brandishing my dagger once again. Light from the corridor spilled into the room, and I squinted to preserve my vision. But rather than another thief, Tamsil rushed into the room, practically falling over herself when she noticed the corpse.

"Oh my! Is she...?"

"Dead? Yes, I killed her," I replied cleaning the blood from my dagger on the thief's clothes. "Is the rest of the inn under attack?"

"No, this is the only drow I've seen for days," she said, looking nervously around my room as if the shadows held more. Then, as she took in the sight of me, naked as the day I was born, her eyes widened and her mouth formed a perfect 'O' of surprise. "You have... you have..." she spluttered.

"Wings?" I asked, peering over my shoulder at the silver leathery wings that grew out from my back. "Yes, I do." Her reaction, repeated anywhere that I went, was why I usually covered them up these days. Although I couldn't use them to fly, much to my dismay, I was proud of my wings. I liked them, even if they made buying new armour a chore unto itself. Most people, however, only saw them as a mark of something demonic. Before I began covering them up, I was chased out of a multitude of small countryside villages, to cries of 'demon!' and mobs carrying pitchforks. City-people were usually more accepting, but I normally didn't like to take any chances. "This elf, or drow, or whatever, took all of my stuff. She made it disappear using magic."

"Oh!" said Tamsil, coming back to her senses, though she still eyed my wings warily. "I'm very sorry for all of this. She must have used magic to get in here... that's what they've been doing all over the city. One of them will use magic to enter a building, teleport equipment away, and then more will arrive to assassinate people. By killing this thief, you've probably averted that fate for yourself."

"Fantastic. Everything I had is gone. Armour, weapons, gold. Everything," I said flatly.

"Well... my father has a store-room with spare equipment in it. You can take anything you need from there. And I'll make sure you're reimbursed for your lost gold. If you'd like to take a look in the store room, and then come downstairs, my father would like to talk to you and the other adventurers."

"Great," I said, then sighed. "Alright, I'll take a look at the store room, then be right down."

Tamsil bowed, and hurried from the room. I didn't even bother to grab a sheet from the bed to cover my modesty, I merely folded my wings around my body, covering most of my torso with the leathery scales. Then I stepped out into the corridor.

o - o - o - o - o

As I walked down the stairs towards the common room, I counted my blessings, few as they were. The first was that the store room held armour designed for a woman approximately my size, wings notwithstanding. It was banded mail, so I used my dagger to cut away the binding that held together the back section, and slipped the armour on over a clean shift I had found. I left the back section off completely; my wings, I knew, would deflect anything except enchanted weapons, so scaly and thick were they. Luckily, I had found a grey cloak, with which to cover them. I thanked Lathander for small miracles.

Another blessing was that the room held an ample supply of weaponry. I took a long sword, to go with my dagger, and shoved every useful potion into a spare backpack. I added a few rolls of bandages, a couple of flasks of alchemist's fire, and decided I had enough to get by with. The only thing I needed now was some travelling rations, and I would be good to go.

I opened the common room door, and was greeted by the sight of a dozen refugees sprawled out on blankets or wandering aimlessly around the room. Then a group of people caught my attention for a different reason; they were resplendent in armour, and had the obvious look of adventurers about them. One of them, a half-orc who has half again as tall as me, waved at me and gestured for me to join them. No doubt Tamsil had told them who I was.

I briefly assessed the group as I approached them. One, like me, was human. The woman was stunning, with long auburn hair which fell like silk in waves down her back. Her attire was likewise red, obviously something of a theme with her. The other woman of the group was an elf, fairer than the one who had stolen my belongings, though I could not guess her species. The half-orc who had beckoned me was a grand, imposing figure. The way he stood suggested pride in his skills and his heritage, though he did not give off the arrogance that I would have expected for an accomplished warrior. The last of the group was a short man, a halfling whose head barely reached the height of my hip. He was clad in black leather, and gave me a wink and a cheeky grin when he saw me looking at him. I suppressed a smile. I enjoyed confidence in a man, even if he was half my height, and this thief exuded confidence.

"You are welcome amongst us, dear," said the elven woman. "I am Linu Le'neral. These are my companions, Sharwyn, Tomi and Daelan," she said, indicating the red woman, the halfling and the half-orc by turn. "I understand that everybody here has been anticipating your arrival."

"Hmph," snorted Daelan. "Durnan will not even talk to us until Sinisalo shows up. I for one did not come to this city's aid, only to be ignored." The elf tutted.

"There is no need to be inhospitable, Daelan. This woman's presence is a boon to our cause. We should be grateful that she is here."

"And no cause speaks louder than a hundred thousand gold, eh?" said Tomi. A hundred thousand gold? This was the first I'd heard of it.

"I agree," said Sharwyn. "That amount of gold speaks volumes about how desperate the Lords have become."

"Gold, Sharwyn?" said Linu. "Have you no sense of the epic?"

"What about you, Sinisalo?" said Daelan, turning his gaze to me. "What brought you here?"

"The Lords put out a call for aid. I'm here to do the right thing, or at least to try," I said with a noncommittal shrug. It wasn't as simple of that, of course. It rarely is. But I wasn't about to share my life story with these strangers. Besides, if they'd read Deekin's book, they already knew more about me than I was comfortable with.

"I'm glad to hear that," said Daelan, relaxing visibly. "I know that Durnan is eager to speak with you. Shall we make our way into the other room?"

I nodded for him to lead the way, and the rest of the group fell into line behind me. It seemed that, wanted or not, I had some new friends.


	3. Horrors of Waterdeep

_3. Horrors of Waterdeep: Drow, Beholders, and Kobold Bards._

I quickly realised that Daelan's group (as I had come to think of them) and I were not the only adventurers to answer the call of the Lords. There must have been a dozen in total once we had filed into the room. One man, who unlike the rest was unarmoured, approached me as I entered the room. He bore a resemblance to Tamsil. This, I deduced, was her father, Durnan. He was a tall, well-muscled middle-aged man, who moved with confidence.

"Sinisalo," he said, even going so far as to give me a small bow. "I am glad you are here. Was the room to your satisfaction?"

"Apart from the drow, it was just peachy," I said, giving him a small smile to show that I held no ill-will towards him for the events of the early morning. He nodded in understanding, but a frown still graced his brow.

"Yes, Tamsil told me about that. I'll see that you're compensated. Those damned drow keep showing up all over the city, and nobody seems able to stop them. They seem to think that their victims will be easier to kill without defensive items, so one will steal everything, then a few minutes later an assassin will come along and finish the job."

"Wait a minute," said Tomi. "A drow snuck into your room and stole all your stuff? If I'd known you were such an easy mark I'd have stolen it myself! Hahaha!"

I rolled my eyes, and caught Durnan's attention before he could berate the halfling.

"It doesn't matter. But obviously, these attacks need to be stopped. What is our next move?"

"Well, that's what you folk are for. All of the adventurers here are willing to risk their lives to descend into Undermountain," Durnan explained to me. The others listened avidly. "What you may not know is that the Yawning Portal is built over an old entrance into Undermountain, which was built by the mad mage Halaster centuries ago. Until now we've had no problems; Halaster kept a tight rein on the creatures within his dungeon, and nothing ever came out."

"So what's changed?"

"That's something you'll have to discover for yourselves... if you decide to go on the mission. It could be that Halaster's lost control of the place, that his minions have revolted against him. Or maybe he's no longer content with dominion of his mountain, and wants to branch out to the surface."

"If he's even still alive," I pointed out.

"I doubt he's dead. It's said that his power rivalled Elminster's. And he's an Arch-Mage, so the years don't affect him like they do you and I."

"Father!" called Tamsil from beside a door on the far side of the room. "I think I hear something from the well-room!"

Durnan hurried to his daughter's side, and tilted his head as if listening to something. It was then that I noticed a heavy bar and bolt locking the door. Obviously it was intended to keep people out... or to keep something in. Before I could decide which, Durnan grabbed a sword from a stand on the wall and ushered Tamsil away from the door.

"They're coming up the well!" he shouted. "Everyone grab a weapon!"

I didn't need to be told twice. Even though my weapon was new, my reflexes were not. My right hand came to my left hip, drawing my newly acquired, but second-hand, long-sword from its scabbard. As my left hand came across to my right hip, and my fingers instinctively sought out the hilt of my familiar dagger, the door of the well-room exploded violently. Sharp splinters of wood flew across the room, some finding the flesh of adventurers. I had the presence of mind to turn, duck and cover; my armoured arms protected my head whilst my wings took the brunt of the wood storm.

Even as I began to recover, Durnan and several of the adventurers rushed forward to meet our attackers. There were a dozen in total, some dark elves, some dark dwarves. And if the elves were drow, these dwarves must be duergar. I had read about them in books, but never thought to see one for myself. I'd read that they rarely left their Underdark homes.

"You dare to attack my inn!" yelled Durnan, slashing at a slender elf. The woman's response was lost to me as the din of battle overwhelmed my ears. I fixed my sight on a dwarf who was harassing Linu, and thrust my dagger into the small gap between his armour and his helmet. If these fellows had the same anatomy as their surface kin, I had just severed his carotid artery. To my satisfaction, and Linu's relief, the dark dwarf toppled over, clutching his neck as the blood rushed out of him. I turned my attention to another antagonist.

Violence is a strange thing. In battle, a minute can stretch out for an eternity. Hours can run together until it seems that mere moments have passed. There is nothing magical about this. Though bards sing songs about it, and minstrels tell tales about it, it all comes down to one thing; adrenaline. This single hormone affects our minds so strongly that we lose track of time. It causes our sense of _when_ to switch off entirely, allowing our bodies to perform amazing feats, to carry on fighting for hours, or to create one sudden and inhuman burst of strength.

This battle was not one of those moments. Although I was fighting for my life, I didn't feel threatened enough to allow the adrenaline to kick in. Like any drug, it's something that you can become tolerant to. Like the drunk who must drink more and more every time to feel its effects, or a warrior who must put himself in more and more danger before he feels afraid, it is something to which you develop an insensitivity. Though I was in danger, it was never the desperate, panic-stricken danger that you feel when you're fighting one-on-one against an opponent who is bigger, stronger and tougher than you. Before I knew it, the battle was over. Durnan and the adventurers who still lived charged into the well-room, whilst a cleric began raising the dead.

I wiped the sweat from my brow, and surveyed the carnage. Tamsil was huddled in a corner of the room, being protectively watched over by the half-orc bouncer employed by Durnan. Dazed adventurers wandered around the room, reclaiming their dropped weapons and stopping occasionally to kick a still-twitching drow or duergar corpse. And under a table, on the furthest side of the room, two red pin-pricks of eyes watched me, watching them.

"Boss!" screeched a high, reptilian voice. Its owner launched itself from its hiding place and wrapped itself bodily around my left leg. I hoped he wasn't going to start humping it, like an oversexed dog.

"Deekin! I haven't seen you in ages!" I said, shaking my leg in the hopes of dislodging him.

"Yes, it has been a long time, boss. Deekin be real busy for long time, travelling and writing book. Deekin be famous bard, now!" he said, looking up at me with shining eyes.

"Congratulations, Deekin. I'm happy for you."

"Deekin happy too," he said, getting the message and letting go of my leg. "Deekin travels lots, just like he said he would. Deeking still not believes his eyes that human cities be so big! Deekin finish his great epic story about boss, too, just like Deekin say he would! Did you sees it? Did you likes it?"

"It's about my first real adventure. What's not to like?" I laughed.

"You likes it! Deekin sooooo happy!" He did a little jig, just to show how happy he was. "Good news be that Deekin work on new book, now. Deekin not gots title for it yet, however."

"I'm sure it will be suitably epic."

"Maybe. That why Deekin come to Waterdeep... there be call for heroes and Deekin want to be hero like boss was! It make for good book, Deekin thinking."

"So you came here expecting to go into Undermountain? By yourself?" I asked incredulously. Deekin had always been optimistic, but never stupid.

"Deekin not so silly! Deekin not go in Undermountain by himself, no... Deekin just get killed that way. Deekin great kobold hero, but still just little kobold. Deekin come and hope that he find other adventurers, maybe they takes Deekin with them. But nobody wants to take little kobold along," he said sadly.

"Why don't you come along with me, Deekin?" I suggested. During the time we had spent together in the past, I had come to truly welcome his companionship. He had seen me through some of my darkest times, and been a true friend to me.

"Yay! Deekin think you never ask, boss!" he said, clapping his hands with glee. "We make great team, you and Deekin, just you waits and sees!"

"I'm sure we will, Deekin."

"Um... boss?"

"Yeah?"

"We gonna go in big well-room place now? Deekin thinks other adventurers need help from boss. And Deekin needs to start writing obituaries!"

o - o - o - o - o

I decided to follow Deekin's advice. He had been right about such things in the past, and would no doubt be proved right again. Together we hurried downstairs to the well-room, my kobold companion and I.

We descended into chaos. Several more drow warriors were fighting Daelan's group, and I jumped into the fray as Deekin began to sing. Though hardly melodic, his singing conveyed power to me. I felt stronger, faster, more confident. In a short time, our attackers lay heaped in a bloody pile, and Linu healed our wounds.

"That was a close call, but I think we managed to hold them back," said Durnan, surveying the drow corpses with disgust. Then he turned to Daelan. "I need you four to stay here and guard the well, until the..."

He trailed off as a guttural roar came from the depths of the well. I turned in time to see some sort of... terrifying monstrosity... float up into the air. The beast was a flesh-coloured mass of skin, with a dozen eyes on the ends of stalks jutting out from its body. Before I could even unsheathe my sword, a ray of bright light rushed out from one of the creature's eyes, and my world went black.


	4. Descent

_4. Descent_

"What happened?" I asked when the light returned to my world.

"Those four blasted fools ran off like a bunch of impatient children! Don't they realise how dangerous Undermountain is?" Durnan asked, obviously not expecting an answer from me.

"What was that thing?" I asked instead.

"A beholder, capable of unleashing more magic out of each eye than any wizard can even dream up." I thought me might be exaggerating that part. "And those fools have chased after it into Undermountain! I wanted an organised foray into that place... not this mess!"

"What do you want me to do about them?"

"I don't want you rushing off in a blind rage like the others, Sinisalo. I want you to be smart, and prepare yourself for the trip down there. Speak to White Thesta... she's the cleric who's been helping me." He indicated a woman who was just now descending the stairs into the chaos. She had been the woman I had seen upstairs who was raising the dead adventurers back to life. "After you've gotten all the provisions you need, come and speak to me again. When you're ready, I'll lower you down into Undermountain via this well."

I peered behind him, and noticed a deep chasm, with a well and a winching mechanism beside it. The platform looked sturdy enough to hold my weight.

"Can I ask you something?" Durnan nodded for me to continue. "The guards at the gate last night said that you're the only one who's been down there and come back alive. Do you know what I can expect to face when I get down there?"

"It's hard to say," he sighed. "The corridors of that place twist and turn... you can go through one door, step back through it, and end up in a completely different place than when you started. And there are monsters down there... some willing inhabitants, some that have wandered in and never managed to find a way out. And the deeper you go, the more dangerous it gets."

"How do I get out of Undermountain, if I need to come back here?"

"As far as I know, the only way is to come back to the base of the well. I can winch you up easily enough. Other than that... it's hard to say. You can't teleport around down there, you see."

"Why not?" Not that I was capable of teleporting (I only wish I was!) but it was always good to know why you were limited by your environment.

"Because any magic that can take you from one place to another, even via the planes, is forbidden via Halaster's magic. Only his own magics and portals work down there."

"I don't suppose you have a map, then?" I asked wryly. Durnan shook his head.

"Sadly, no. The layout of that place changes constantly. Maps won't do you any good down there."

"How about a ball of string, or a piece of chalk?"

"Eh?"

"Never mind," I replied, shaking my head with a smile.

I turned away from Durnan, and my hand immediately sought out a pocket inside my cloak. My fingers clasped around something cold and metal, and I brought the object out to look at it. Gold in colour but not in composition, the item resembled a large ring. It was encrusted with gems and inscribed with strange runes. It had also been in the chest of my items that had been spirited away by the drow thief.

"You still gots that, boss?" Deekin asked me. I'd been so absorbed in examining the small artifact that I had found on my first adventure, that I hadn't even noticed Deekin approach.

"Yes. I don't seem to be able to get rid of it. No matter how many times I throw it away, it always comes back to me. You know, once I threw it in the Sea of Swords during a storm. I was sure that the waves would carry it away. But within seconds it was in my pocket again. It's never been gone for this long before, though... maybe wherever the drow sent it was really far away."

"You know boss, Deekin knows some stuff about Undermountain."

"Really?"

"Yep! Old boss used to like hearing about Undermountain, so Deekin find lots of books about it and reads them out to old master."

"And what do you know?"

"That mage who makes Undermountain, he be mad. He want everyone who goes in Undermountain to die. He also makes it so people can't teleport away out of danger. But maybe boss's relic has more power than Halaster!"

"Forget it, Deekin. I'm not using the relic to teleport us around Undermountain. You _know_ I don't like the realm of the Reaper."

"Aww, boss." Deekin looked sad, but he knew better than to argue with me when my mind was set.

I sought out White Thesta, who came across as a promiscuous tramp but obviously had the blessing of some powerful deity on her side, and she gave me a Rod of Resurrection, a magical item which I could use to bring people back to life, at least until the charges on the rod ran out. Then I procured some travelling rations from Durnan's wife, and went back to the well room to speak to the man himself. It was time for me to enter Undermountain.

o - o - o - o - o

As Durnan lowered us down into the chasm, the light began to fade. I looked up and saw the winching apparatus outlined far above my head. As we descended, that outline grew further and further away, and the darkness consumed us, a monster swallowing us in a single bite.

I hadn't been expecting an attack as soon as I reached the bottom of the well, so I was surprised when a single, emaciated, unarmed goblin rushed towards me, practically gibbering with excitement.

"You!" he said, in a cringing voice. He spoke common well, though. "You're not a fairy! No, no, no. But you don't work for the Ogre, no, no, no. Grovel's never seen you before. I'd remember. Maybe... maybe you dn't work for anyone, maybe. Maybe? Yes? No?"

"I serve only myself, goblin," I told him.

"Yes, that's good. Good, good, good. Everyone else down here is mad, fighting and killing. But not you. No, no, no."

"Deekin thinks you want Boss to hire you," said my friend, watching the goblin cautiously from behind my legs. "Well, forget it! Boss not need your help... she gots Deekin!"

"No, no, no. Grovel doesn't want to be hired, not if it means going deeper into Undermountain. Grovel just wants to talk." For which I was grateful. One companion referring to himself in the third person was more than enough. "Maybe you want to talk, yes? Talking is what I'm good at. Not fighting, not magic, but informtion is what Grovel's good at. You have questions, Grovel will help you. Better than fighting, yes?"

"Alright. Tell me everything you know," I said.

"Everything, yes, yes, yes. Grovel tells all. Once a time, Grovel lives with tribe under King Bloodtooth. Then, Halaster brings entire tribe to Undermountain. Nobody knows why! Halaster mad, not in angry way, but in way of goblin who drinks too much elf blood and ends up thinking he can fly if he jumps of cliff. Everybody plays nice when Halaster around, because nobody knows what he does next. Then one day, Halaster disappears! Nobody knows where he goes, no, no, no. King Bloodtooth think this chance for goblins to fight way out. Rest of tribe follow him, but Grovel wiser than that. Now, only Grovel is left. Everybody else fighting like crazy... armies following Ogre Mage and Faerie Queen. Always with the fighting and the killing. Nobody ever fight and kill when Halaster in , there be scary things coming up from below. Scary dark things, and nobody sees them because everybody too busy fighting. But Grovel sees them, oh yes."

"What sort of... 'scary dark things' are coming up from below?"

"Like elves, but mean, and not taste nice. And dwarves that smell funny. Sometimes other things, too. Spiders and creepies that Grovel hides from. Grovel closes his eyes when spiders around... not like spiders."

"Nobody likes spiders," I said absently. If Halaster had disappeared, that probably meant that Undermountain was a lot more dangerous then normal.

"Grovel not wants to stay down here. Grovel wants to be free of Undermountain!"

"Alright, I'll send you up the well," I told him. How much harm could a single, small goblin do, after all? "Tell Durnan that Sinisalo sent you. And be sure to tell him everything you told me, about Halaster disappearing and whatnot."

"Yes, yes, yes, Grovel tells all!"

Content that Grovel wouldn't cause mischief on the surface - he seemed genuinely terrified to stay down here - I let him step on the platform then pulled on the rope to signal Durnan. The platform began to slowly ascend, and before long it was out of sight.

"Well. At least we have a better idea of what we're walking into," I said to Deekin.

"Deekin is glad that boss gets rid of goblin. Deekin not like goblins. Not likes spiders either though..."

"Don't worry, I'll deal with any spiders," I assured him. Then I led us towards a far door in the wall, and we entered Undermountain.

o - o - o - o - o

There was no doubt I was truly inside Undermountain now. Around me, the walls glowed strangely with red and blue lights. I heard distant sounds; groans and moans, as if the rock of the place itself was trying to speak to me. An occasional shriek reached my ears; this was definitely not a friendly place.

"Boss! It's the loud red lady!" said Deekin, hurrying towards a pile of something on the floor. Despite my enhanced night-vision, courtesy of my draconic heritage, Deekin's darkvision was still better than mine. I guess that's what happens when your people live in caves for generations.

I bent down to examine the woman who was crumpled in a heap on the floor. Other than a bruise on her temple, no doubt caused by her hitting her head after she died and fell, there was not a mark on her. Strange. Seasoned adventurers don't usually drop dead for no reason.

"What do you think?" I asked my kobold companion.

"Magic, boss."

I nodded, and took from my pack the Rod of Resurrection that Thesta had given to me. Then I eyed the cold corpse of the bard as I ran my fingers over the smooth length of the rod. I was tempted more than I would like to admit to let the woman remain dead and keep the extra charge on the rod for emergencies. The gift of life is a precious thing, and I would have preferred to use it on someone who hadn't thrown their life away in a foolish moment.

"Boss? You gonna bring her back?" asked Deekin, looking at me with hopeful eyes.

"Of course," I said, unable to bring myself to let him down. I stood up straight and took a step back, then aimed the rod at the woman's corpse and ran my thumb over the activation rune. Sharwyn was enveloped in a white-blue light, and let out a gasp as her soul returned to her body. She flailed for a moment as her muscles loosened and her heart started pumping again, then she sat up and looked at me with and expression of horror on her face.

"I... I died!" she said, winning my personal award for stating the blatantly obvious.

"Yes. And you're welcome."

"I'm sorry... I'm very grateful to you for bringing me back. Thank you. I know that you didn't have to do it."

"Your friends left you," I said. It was more of an accusation than a question.

"I guess they weren't able to raise me themselves," she said, her gaze turned inward.

"From what I have seen, Linu is a cleric of no small power. She should have been able to bring you back without any problems."

"Maybe they were in trouble and had to flee... or Linu was hurt... or..."

"Yes, I'm sure," I said, taking pity on her. She looked around, surprised at her surroundings.

"I didn't get as far into Undermountain as I would have liked."

"So it would seem." I had learnt a long time ago that vague, non-committal answers were an excellent way of getting people to keep talking. They felt that they either had to explain themselves or fill the gaps which my words left.

"Don't worry, loud red lady. Deekin not get very far on his own either. Luckily, Deekin has boss to keep him safe!" said my short friend. Sharwyn merely shivered.

"I've seen all that I want to see of Undermountain. I think I should return to the inn and help with the defences there."

"I think that's a good idea," I said. I could tell that she wanted me to ask her to accompany me, but I didn't take the bait. There was just something that rankled me about the woman, though it may not have been entirely her fault. I had never gotten along well with most women. Growing up, my female friends had been few and far between, and they tended to be friendships born of necessity rather than interest. Maybe because when I was young, I was the youngest of four children, the other three boys. Maybe because I found men to be easier to deal with, less complicated, than women. Whatever the reason, I wasn't about to change my ways for Sharwyn.

"Well if you've cleared the way behind me I shouldn't have any problems getting back," the bard said standing and brushing non-existent dirt from her clothes. "Thank you again for bringing me back. I know it may not mean much to you, but I'm indebted to you. Should you ever need my help, do not be afraid to call on me."

"Boss?" said Deekin once Sharwyn had retreated to the entry chamber. "You bring Deekin back, boss, if he die?"

"In a heartbeat, Deekin," I smiled. He gave me a toothy grin.

We set off again, our eyes and ears peeled for any sign of trouble. We had barely gone ten paces when Deekin's small scaly hand on my knee stopped me in my tracks.

"Boss! Deekin thinks there be a trap here!"

"Well done Deekin," I smiled. "Can you disarm it?"

"No boss," he said, giving me a look that told me I should know better. "Deekin be good bard, good with hands, but terrible thief. Deekin thinks this be job for Dorna!" I nodded. Dorna had been the thief who accompanied me on my last quest. She had been an extremely competent dwarf.

"Alright, Deekin. Just lead me around the trap, then."

Further down the corridor I noticed a distant bright light. Cautiously, we made our way forward, and the corridor opened up into a crossroad of sorts. In front of us was a stone bridge, and blocking that bridge was row upon row of pillars, that seemed to be made of nothing but differently coloured light. I felt an overwhelming urge to touch one of the pillars, to see what they felt like, but I knew that might be a terminally stupid idea, so I resisted the temptation. Instead, I examined four levers that Deekin was looking at. Above the levers were circular-shaped holes, and it looked like something was supposed to be put inside them.

"That be awful lot of pillars, Deekin thinking. Maybe it be puzle of some kind, something to prevent you going to next level maybe?" he suggested. I nodded.

"Keep an eye out for anything that looks like it may fit in these holes. I get the feeling that this is one of 'mad' Halaster's puzzles. And keep your eyes open for traps, to."

He did so, and we slowly made our way through the twisting, winding corridors. We weren't alone, either. Several times we chanced upon warring groups, and managed to best them only because we had the element of surprise. Undermountain was infested with drow, but it also held other creatures, who fought not only us, but each other. Once we encountered a group of orcs and ogres who were engaged in heated battle with a group of fey creatures - pixies and sprites and the like. Deekin and I watched the fight from a safe distance, and both groups fought to the death, saving us the danger of fighting them. In this furtive manner did we make our way through Undermountain.

Then we came upon Daelan's corpse.


	5. Enserric

_5. Enserric_

Daelan blinked as the effects of the rod quickly restored his senses. He looked around at the oppressive walls, then locked his eyes onto mine.

"It seems that I owe you a debt. I have failed in my mission to aid the people of Waterdeep by allowing myself to be killed. But you brought me back. I feel shame at my actions, though I am eternally grateful to you for taking the time to find me and restore me to life."

"Don't mention it," I said, putting the rod back into my backpack. "If you're feeling upto it, you could accompany me and Deekin through Undermountain. Two of your companions are still missing, and there's still the mystery of the drow attacks which needs addressing."

"Yes..." said Daelan, a faraway look on his face. "Yes. Aiding you may restore some measure of my honour."

"Yay! Deekin enjoys making new friends!" said Deekin happily.

"Why is there a kobold with you?" asked Daelan. He seemed somewhat surprised by my friend's appearance... strange, for a half-orc.

"This is my friend, Deekin. He wrote Shadows of Undrentide," I explained.

"This... this kobold is the one who wrote the epic novel about your adventures?"

"Deekin spent lots of time running after the boss," said Deekin proudly. "Even though boss gots longer legs than Deekin, Deekin still manages to keep up! Even when all the undead and snake people attacking, Deekin still managed to get all the details. But... hehe... Deekin had to embellish some bits. Deekin has great artistic licence."

And that settled that. Daelan made no more objections, though he did glance at Deekin often as we walked.

"What can you tell me about this place?" I asked, gesturing at the room in which he had died. Along both walls stood tall, oval-shaped mirrors, placed so that they did not quite reflect each other. Daelan frowned.

"These mirrors are what killed me. I approached one and saw the reflection of treasure at my feet. But when I tried to examine it further, my reflection stepped out of the mirror and attacked me! He was able to counter my every move... clearly I am my own worst enemy," he said ruefully.

"Ooh, Deekin reads about this place! It called 'Hall of Mirrors'. Halaster not very imaginative with names, Deekin thinks. But this place used to be closer to entrance. Deekin reads story for old master about a group of adventurers who found it right by the entrance. Hall of Mirrors has been moved, maybe? Halaster done some redecorating?"

"Well, let's take a look at these mirrors," I said, a victim of my own curiosity. "And don't worry... if anything steps out, it's three against one, right?"

It was good that there was three of us, because my reflection did _indeed_ step out and attack me. It was strange to be fighting myself, and I found myself trying to think of moves that I might not ordinarily use, only to find that my reflection was expecting them. Luckily, she wasn't expecting Daelan's attacks, or the bolts that Deekin shot at her from his crossbow. When I struck the killing blow, my evil twin disappeared, as if unsummoned from this world. And after I had stripped the Hall of Mirrors of everything useful or valuable, we moved on.

My sense of time was distorted by the oppressive darkness around me, but Deekin reliably informed me after several hours that it was time to sit down and have lunch. I broke out the rations, which I shared with Daelan and Deekin, and we passed a few moments in comfortable silence.

"So," I said, "Why did you leave Sharwyn after she died?"

"What?" asked Daelan, thrown off-guard by the abruptness of my question. I smiled. Abrupt questions, as well as non-committal sentences, were another favourite of mine.

"Sharwyn. We found her dead and raised her, then sent her back up the well. Why didn't the rest of you try to help her?"

"I did stop," said Daelan, his brows knitting into a deep frown. I could sense his anger, though he concealed it well. "The others were ahead of me by some paces, chasing the beholder. I heard something behind me, and turned in time to see Sharwyn fall to the ground, though I could see no reason for it. I tried to wake her, I... I tried a healing kit. But I am no cleric, and the kit did nothing. Then I heard screams from further inside Undermountain. It sounded like Linu, so I decided to help my friends who were still alive."

"Where are Tomi and Linu now?"

"I... don't know. I never found them. I was hoping to come across them as I wandered, but instead I came across my reflection. That's the last thing I remember. But I swear to you, I _did_ try to help Sharwyn."

"Good. Because I don't leave people behind, and I don't stand for it in other people."

"Had Linu not screamed, I would have carried Sharwyn back to the surface, so that the cleric could restore her. But... I did not. And that proved to be the wrong choice, for both of us."

"Good enough for me," I said, glad that my intuition about Daelan being honourable had panned out.

o - o - o - o - o

After a light lunch of rations with water (don't let anybody ever tell you that adventuring is a cushy and luxurious profession - it is not) we moved on to another room. Inside the doorway, a large sign said "Leave Sitting Kings Be!" It sounded like a warning, and I decided to heed it.

"Boss, this be the Hall of Sleeping Kings," said Deekin, looking around the room in wonder. "It be filled with the bones of old kings and queens and sorcerers from the far north. They fights against old nameless enemies, and given resting place of honour here by Halaster."

"I hate undead," I said with a shiver, sending a mental prayer for Lathander to watch over my in this oppressive, sunless place. "So are these kings sleeping, or dead?"

"Maybe both, boss. With enough magic, it can be both."

"Well I for one say that we respect the brave warriors resting in this tomb," said Daelan.

"I agree. But we have to at least go through the room to find the door to the other corridor that I _know_ is somewhere on the other side of that wall."

We walked past several skeletons seated on stone thrones and surrounded by piles of gold and jewels. Then, as I passed the last skeleton within the chamber, a metallic voice called out, almost scaring me out of my wits.

"You there! Yes, you! Take me out of this brute's hands and away from here! I swear, if I must suffer one more decade staring at this room, I shall go mad!"

I peered at the skeleton. The words had come from his direction, but lacking a tongue, I doubted it was even possible for him to speak. That's when I looked down and noticed a black longsword, glowing faintly red, in the hands of the skeleton.

"Err... who are you?" I asked, feeling like a simpleton for talking to a weapon.

"Far be it from me to make a simple request and hope that an adventurer might do as they are asked, for once. No? Fine. Let's start this out correctly, shall we? My name is Enserric the Grey. Or, at least that _was_ my name before my spirit was drawn into this blasted weapon. Yes, yes, chuckle away at my predicament, go ahead. You see, I was once an adventurer just as you are, seeking my path through infamous Undermountain. When I was killed by this sword, my soul was sucked inside, and here I have been ever since."

"Where is your body? I don't see it anywhere," I said.

"Yes, well... that is a long story. Just let me say that the first chap I tried to ask for help decided to leave me be and looted my corpse of everything. And then the rats ate it."

"How is that a long story?"

"Alright! Fine! That's the whole story! When you are forced to helplessly watch indignity after indignity being visited upon your body, you can't help but become a tad upset!"

"I'm sorry for bringing up a difficult subject," I said. "What were you in life, Enserric? And how long ago did this happen?"

"A mage and adventurer, if you must know, though that holds very little relevance now beyond the fact that my intelligence is considerable and I... am... very... bored! As for how long ago... I'm not exactly sure. I didn't get sucked into a calendar, you see. Four or five decades, perhaps? Maybe more? Maybe less?"

"And you seek to escape now?"

"There is no escape from the sword, now. Well, none that I know of. My soul should have dissipated long ago, but I was not about to let that happen. Instead of properly dying I stubbornly tried to escape this sword and return to my body. Instead of being successful, I became...stuck. I have been joined permanently now, doomed to remain attached to the weapon of some dead King who hardly needs it... or anything else, for that matter. Please, I beg you! Have a heart, my lady! Take me away from this hall and use me to chop all your enemies to ribbons... at least that would be a better fate than counting the dust mites on the floor!"

"What's the catch?"

"Hmm, yes, there is _that_, isn't there? The catch, my dear friend, is that these so-called 'sleeping Kings' that occupy this room do not take kindly to having their belongings removed. That is how I was killed in the first place. Greedy me, and did I pay the price or didn't I? You look like a competent and tough young woman, however... how bad could it be?"

I rolled my eyes and signalled Daelan and Deekin to prepare for a fight. I could see Daelan tensing as he entered a raging state common to barbarians, and Deekin began singing "Doom, da da doom doom DOOOM!" His song inspired us all with strength and courage. Then I reached out and took hold of Enserric by the hilt, pulling him free of his skeletal wielder. At once, all the skeletons in the room came to life.

I concentrated at first on the skeleton in front of me. He raised his hands and emitted some sort of ray that made me feel dizzy and light-headed, like the feeling you get when you're starting your third glass of ale after a long dry spell. My senses seemed to slow down, and I was saved from death by Daelan swinging his massive double-headed axe to decapitate my attacker.

No longer in mortal danger, I turned my attention to the skeletal queen who had fixed her attention on Deekin. I saw her call forth a storm of magic missiles which impacted my small companion, though he was still standing and firing his crossbow after the barrage had ended. Obviously, Deekin had gotten a lot stronger since I had last seen him... both mentally and physically.

As more and more undead descended upon us, Enserric laughed and shouted how good it was to actually be _doing_ something for the first time since he had become trapped. He also complained a lot about how foul the undead tasted, and I decided to take him at his word. Regardless, in that battle, Enserric proved himself to be a fine weapon, and an asset that was worth being set upon by millennia-old dead kings.

"I say, good show!" he praised me once the battle was over. Leaning over, panting, I gave him my best 'don't patronise me' look, and began hunting in my pack for my first aid kit. We had all taken minor injuries during the fight, and I knew it would not be the last time our blood moistened the floor of Undermountain.


	6. Vendettas

_6. Vendettas_

The first level of Undermountain seemed to be split into three areas - what I thought of as the central 'core', then a north and a south area, accessible by various doors and portals. Though I kept a keen eye out for further riches, my main concern was finding Tomi and Linu. Particularly Tomi.

I had been in enough dungeons to realise that this one held many, many secrets - if only you knew how to find them. Sadly, I didn't. Although I _knew_ that there were hidden doors and passages - the walls often sounded hollow when I tapped them with the hilt of my dagger (Enserric wouldn't _hear_ of being used to tap walls) - their exact locations and opening mechanisms eluded me. I found myself constantly frustrated with my own inadequacies.

"This place _really_ pisses me off," I sighed to my companions after another ten minute session of wall-tapping.

"Deekin has headache from all the tapping, boss!"

"Surely it's time for us to rest?" asked Daelan, yawning and stretching. I felt a little guilty at pushing him so hard when a few hours ago he had been dead. I nodded and we found an empty room, setting up a meagre camp with a tiny fire. I took the first watch, and the half-orc fell immediately into a deep sleep, exhausted by the events of the day.

"Boss? You not uncomfortable in that dirty old cloak?" Deekin asked me as he settled down into his blanket.

I fingered the scratchy woollen material of the grey cloak, feeling the fibres brushing against my skin. I hadn't noticed the itchiness before, but I was long used to discomfort. The cloak was no more uncomfortable than the banded mail, and I had learnt to put up with heavier armour than that whilst I was training with my former mentor, master Drogan.

"Not really," I replied at last. "Look." I unfastened the cloak and let it fall around me, spreading my wings and stretching them. I wasn't worried about Deekin seeing them; he was used to being the object of scorn, fear and dislike, and would not subject anybody else to the same treatment that he himself had been the victim of.

"Boss, you gots wings!" said Deekin, jumping to his feet and running over to examine me. I let him run his hands over the scales of my wings as he made appreciative noises.

"Don't tell anybody, though. You know what it's like when you look different... people become afraid of you. And I already have people's attention, with everything you wrote in your book."

"Right you are, boss. Deekin not tells a soul. Boss, you think Deekin will get wings soon? Deekin has been studying to be dragon disciple almost as long as boss!"

"I'm sure you will, Deekin. Just keep applying yourself as you have been, and you'll have them in no time," I smiled, folding my wings to my back and covering them with my cloak again. Deekin and I shared more than a love of adventuring; we were both dragon disciples. My own interest in learning about and developing my draconic powers had started with master Drogan, who encouraged me to learn about myself and my ancestors. Deekin's journey had started later than mine, when he left the home of his dragon master and started adventuring with me. Growing wings was the last stage in a dragon disciple's development, and not many reached that level. There were other, less obvious, traits I possessed as a disciple... but none of them marked me as strongly as my wings did.

"Deekin wants white wings, like old master."

"Get some sleep, Deekin," I said, but not unkindly. "You've got the next watch." I knew from previous experience that Deekin had a tendency to waffle if you didn't stop him before he got started. He reminded me of an avalanche. Once he got going, nothing stopped him.

Deekin obeyed my command, and lay down in his blankets. Meanwhile, I took out Enserric and examined the blade. Was he looking at me, in turn? My face was reflected in his blade; my grey eyes look tired, and my long brown hair, normally tied back in a long plait, was somewhat dishevelled where stray strands had come free and flopped over my eyes. In the half-light of the room, with half of my face obscured by shadow, my features looked even more angular than normal. Occasionally, I got asked whether there was any elvish blood in my family. Personally, I didn't see any elven features in myself. If there _had_ been an elven ancestor, nobody had ever mentioned it to me, and it was so far back that most likely nobody remembered it.

Was Enserric seeing what I was seeing? Did he truly _see_? If so, how? And how did he talk, without a mouth?

"Psst, sword. Are you awake?" I asked quietly. I wasn't even sure if he was capable of sleeping. What would it be like, being awake for decades, with no respite? I'd probably be as cranky as Enserric.

The sword did not reply to me, so I put him away again, and wrapped my cloak around myself for warmth. So far, this quest wasn't going too badly. Sure, I'd had all my gear stolen before I'd even started. But on the bright side, at least I hadn't died.

o - o - o - o - o

I led my companions through a doorway into a large room. An angry pixie immediately attacked me, buzzing around my head as she began casting magic spells. I tried to swat her from the air, Enserric shouting for me to 'swing harder, aim higher'. It was at times like this that I wished I had a magical fly-swatter, rather than a magical sword.

Eventually the annoying pixie fell to a well-aimed bolt from Deekin's crossbow, and I bent down to harvest pixie dust from the tiny corpse. Wizards paid good prices for pixie dust, which they often used as a component of their spells. Also, some idiots (mainly men) believed that the pixie dust was a potent aphrodisiac. They could be convinced to buy whole _bottles_ of the stuff. I didn't do the selling myself, but I knew a guy who knew a guy who had a friend...

"I wonder what this place is," I said, looking at the bubbling magma pool that covered half of the floor. The chamber seemed otherwise plain, and there were no chests holding treasures.

"Sinisalo!" Daelan gasped. "There's something wrong with your face!" He took a step towards me, covering the distance between us in a single stride, then cupped my head in his enormous hands, tilting it slowly from side to side as he peered at my face. Had he wished, he could have snapped my neck like a twig... yet he was gentle when he ran a finger over my cheekbone. I shivered at his touch.

"What's wrong?" I asked, afraid that I had been injured but not noticed.

"It looks like... like very fine, barely visible scales," he said. I stepped backwards, and he obediently released my head. I looked at the back of my hands, and sure enough, running along my fingers from the tips to up my sleeves and out of sight, were small scales that luminesced as I turned my hand.

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about," I said dismissively, turning away to survey the rest of the room. He seemed to accept my nonchalant dismissal of my 'problem', and said nothing further about it as he followed me from the room.

As we continued through the labyrinth I tried to concentrate on staying calm and collected. The scales that Daelan had seen were another part of my draconic heritage. Though they covered my whole body in a fine layer beneath my skin (you couldn't actually tell that they were there by touching me) they tended to show up more along bone... my cheekbones, arm and leg bones, and my spine. They were only visible in certain light, or when I was stressed. Normally invisible, when they _did_ show up, they were almost transparent with a luminous sheen, similar to the oil-like sheen on mother of pearl. Only on my wings were the scales fully formed and solid silver in colour.

Though dragon disciples varied in type, the most common were red dragon disciples. I have no idea why. Perhaps red dragons are more promiscuous than their kin. Perhaps they breed more readily with other species. Whatever the reason, I had never met another disciple before, other than Deekin. I was glad that I had undergone the change first... now I knew what to expect, I could help him when his time came too. Nobody had told me what to expect, what would happen to me as I progressed in my knowledge and abilities. Nobody had told me about the physical changes that would come to my body. At least Deekin would not have to go through the process alone, as I had. As I always had.

o - o - o - o - o

Later that afternoon (or what I suspected was approximately afternoon) we were making our way through the southern section of the first level of Undermountain. It had been some time since we had come across footprints belonging to Linu and Tomi, and I was beginning to worry. We were being attacked more and more frequently by fey creatures. And worse, we had seen some harpies. The cruel, bird-like creatures were vicious, and capable of draining a person's life-force. I was just about to suggest that we turn around and search a different area, when Daelan called out to me.

"Sinisalo! Over here, another door!"

Although the door was not truly hidden, it was partially concealed by a trailing creeper plant. This was something different. So far we hadn't seen any plant-life within Undermountain. Without the sun, plants quickly withered and died. Clearly, whatever was sustaining this plant had some measure of power.

"Please, call me Sin," I said, examining the door for traps, though I probably wouldn't have recognised one had I even seen one. I was useless with traps, and was only making a show of searching to put my companions' minds at ease.

"You do not like being called Sinisalo?" he asked.

"It's not that I don't like it, it's just that ever since I was young, all my friends have called me 'Sin'."

"Then I am glad that you consider me a friend, Sin."

I smiled at him and, feeling quite confident that I wasn't going to meet a grisly fate at the door, I opened it and stepped into the room beyond.

I was immediately set upon by several small, quite violent pixies.

As Daelan and Deekin rushed forward to help me stave off the annoying pests, another, much larger pixie ran towards me, dagger held high. As she approached, a stoneskin sprung up around her, providing a protective barrier to her body.

I used Enserric to parry her first swing (and he called out that fairy blood tasted just delightful, rather like strawberry tarts), and brought my dagger forward towards her stomach.

Ordinarily, an opponent stabbed in the stomach would have been watching his, or her, innards gushing out onto the floor. Not a pretty sight (or a pretty smell). My dagger glanced from the protective stoneskin, however, and I failed to injure the fairy at all.

"Deekin, can't you do anything about this?" I shouted, without looking at the kobold. Unlike the fairy, I had no stoneskin. I couldn't afford to be cut even once.

"Deekin will try, boss! Holds on!"

I continued to parry the fairy's attacks, which were actually quite poor and amateurish, whilst Deekin chanted away. I didn't know what spell he was planning, because even though I possessed a tiny amount of innate magical 'sense', you might call it, I possessed no actual magical talent whatesoever. I could just about read a spell from a scroll, but unless you told me what it was I was reading, I wouldn't have any idea what the spell would do until it was cast. I couldn't even distinguish between a scroll of magic missiles and a scroll of flesh to stone, which is why I left the magic thing to other people.

I sensed something happening to the fairy in front of me... the air around her _shimmered_ a little, as if it had been heated.

"Hits her now, boss!" Deekin called.

The large fairy ducked as I swung Enserric at her. As a last desperate measure she tried to conceal herself with magic, to no avail. The stoneskin that she had cast on herself gave in to my blow, and she raised her hand in defeat as I moved for the killing strike.

"Stop, please, I give up!" she cried. I stopped Enserric two inches from her neck. "You... have defeated me," she sighed. "Tell me, what did that ogre pay you? How much does it cost to retain the services of someone so powerful?"

"Who pay what?" I asked in confusion. "I killed all of your minions because they attacked me on sight. I'm not being paid to do it. Though I don't mind if somebody wants to give me a little gold for my troubles."

"Then you're not in the employ of the ogre mage? You're just another adventurer coming to sample the terrors of Undermountain? Typical."

"Who are you? And what are you doing here?"

"I am a fairy queen. Like most of the creatures in Undermountain, I was brought here against my will by Halaster, the mad mage."

"Aren't you a little big to be a fairy?" said Daelan.

"I didn't used to be. Once, I was small and delicate, like the rest of the fey. But after I was brought here, I transformed myself to this size. I thought I could use my beauty to ensnare Halaster, to make him free me and my kin. But the mage was not pleased by my advances. Instead of falling under my spell, he trapped me in this form for a hundred years. I had thought when he disappeared that the spell would fade with his death. But it hasn't faded, so wherever he is, he must be alive. Maybe the the ogre has him. Now there's a pleasant thought. Halaster being slowly tortured."

"Where is this ogre? And why are you fighting him?" I asked.

"He lives on the other side of this level. It's only accessible through portals, I think. I've never been there myself. And we fight because when Halaster disappeared, the ogre appointed himself master of this place. I was not willing to submit to his mastery, so I gathered the few followers that I could, and rebelled against him. Now that you've decimated my army, I guess the fighting is over. You might as well kill me."

"Alright," I said, raising Enserric again.

"No, wait!" she cried, as I knew she would. People are rarely as ready to die as they may think. "Please, don't kill me."

"Make up your mind."

"I don't want to die. I think... perhaps I shall try to find my way out of Undermountain, now that Halaster is gone."

"Good. I don't want to have to deal with you again. Now go, before I change my mind."

The fairy nodded, extended her wings, and flew into a previously unseen hole in the ceiling. I felt a small stab of jealousy that, even though she was as big as me, she could still fly. I was as big as me, and I couldn't fly. It didn't seem fair. Then again, life rarely is.

o - o - o - o - o

Using the portals designed by Halaster to teleport around Undermountain was a thoroughly unpleasant experience. Each time we teleported, we stepped out feeling disoriented and queasy. To make it worse, sometimes we were attacked immediately upon exiting the portals. And the northern section of this level was completely infested with orcs, ogres and trolls. Their blood, Enserric informed me, was not as sweet as that of the fey creatures.

I was quickly coming to hate Undermountain. Although we had found a considerable amount of gold scattered around the various rooms, there were more traps than I cared for. I had traded in my worn, second-hand banded mail for a set of enchanted full plate that I had discovered (and adapted to fit me whilst Daelan was scouting another corridor), so although I had a better quality of armour, it also made my reflexes slower. I wasn't able to dodge as many traps, and once I was hit by a lightning bolt that made every hair on my body stand on end for _hours_. I was not pleased.

I knew we were getting close to the ogre mage when we entered a room absolutely _full_ of trolls and ogres. By now I was quite familiar with how they fought, so as Deekin dealt with the noxious ogres from afar, Daelan and I engaged the trolls.

"Death to da small folk!" cried one of the ogres. He was easily half as tall again as Daelan, which made him almost twice as tall as me. The ogre launched himself at Deekin, and I _threw_ Enserric at him in mid-air. My newly acquired sword/companion lodged himself in the ogre's ribs with enough force to pin the huge brute up against the opposite wall.

"If that's chipped me, you better be prepared to have me fixed!" called Enserric. I rolled to dodge a blow from a troll's claws, and as I came to my feet I grabbed Enserric's hilt with my hands and pulled him free from the wall. The ogre corpse almost fell on top of me, and I only narrowly avoided being raked by the troll.

"You're fine!" I said, swinging the sword without bothering to examine him. The last troll in the room fell to my decapitating blow, and Enserric made spitting noises whilst complaining about the taste of troll blood.

"I'm beginning to think there is no end to this madness and slaughter," said Daelan. He was red from almost head-to-toe, covered in the blood of our foes. I looked down at myself, and realised I didn't look much better. And Deekin was even worse. Since he was closer to the ground, he got drenched in _everything_.

"Does it bother you, fighting these creatures? Some of them are orcs, after all," I asked Daelan.

"Does it bother you to fight human criminals?" he countered.

"Good point."

"Boss? Deekin senses big magic back here," said Deekin from a nearby doorway.

"Do you think it's Halaster?"

"Maybe, boss. Whoever it is gots more magic than Deekin anyway!"

"On three?" I asked Daelan. He nodded, and I gave a silent count to three on my fingers. Daelan rushed into the room, and I followed him, with Deekin on my heels.

"Doooom dooom dooom doooooooom!" Deekin sang behind me. I winced at the loudness of his voice even as I felt his enchantments washing over me, making me feel more refreshed.

As I had feared, we were attacked right away by another ogre. This one was a mage, and I took him to be the fairy queen's adversary. Deekin tried his best to protect us from the worst of the magical effects, but the ogre's power was simply overwhelming. The beast even had a habit of teleporting a short distance away whenever he was hit. This gave me a little glimmer of hope, though. If the ogre could teleport, even if it was just a few feet, maybe Halaster's magics which bound the rules and laws of this place, was weakening. Both Deekin and Durnan had said that teleporting was impossible down here, but this mage had clearly overcome that limitation somewhat.

We must have injured the ogre more than I realised, because the next time I raised Enserric to strike another blow, the ogre held up his hands to halt my attack.

"I'm obviously no match for you, my good friend," he said. I blinked in surprise. "But we are both civilised creatures, there's no need to kill me. You defeated me in good cavalier fashion, so what would you have me do?"

"You're fairly well spoken, for an ogre," I said.

"I only play on the old dumb ogre stereotype to keep my enemies off-guard. You know, 'Me crush you good!' and all that. I _am_ a wizard after all. Most people don't associate an ogre wizard with intelligence. You did not underestimate me like the others, though."

"That's a story I'm all too familiar with, I'm afraid," said Daelan.

"Deekin knows how you feels too. People is mean to Deekin just because he's a little kobold. But if they let Deekin sings for them, then maybe they not hates me so much."

"People just need time to get used to you, Deekin," I said.

"Yeah boss, maybe you is right. Deekin is like fine wine... I gets better the more I sits in your cellar."

"I suppose it is safe to assume that my forces have been devastated beyond repair, so it seems that oversized fairy will rule this level after all. What are your terms of surrender?" asked the ogre.

"The fairy is defeated," I told him.

"The fey is beaten, truly?"

"Her forces are destroyed, though I allowed her to live."

"That is good to know, though I'd rather she was dead entirely. Still, if her power has been broken I can at least take satisfaction in the knowledge she did not succeed where I failed. Had I known that you defeated her, my followers would have let you past and I would have congratulated you. Instead, you've slaughtered my followers as thoroughly as hers. I suppose our folly has left the level quite barren now. I've no desire to rule a kingdom of corpses. Perhaps I should leave Undermountain and return to my home in the Turmish mountains."

"Before you go, can you tell me where Halaster is, and how I can get down to the next level?"

"Halaster is gone. I do not know where, or how, or why. As for getting down to the next level... there is a passage at the back of this room which has caved in. The unwanted effects of a spell of mine, actually. If you could find a keg of alchemist's fire you could create a controlled blast to clear the passage. I don't think it will kill you if you time it properly. Other than that... in the central area, between the fairy's home and mine, is a series of pillars of light, blocking the way down. You need to insert corresponding rods into the levers, and pull them to clear the pillars."

"Are these the rods?" I asked, pulling three long, brightly coloured cylinders from my pack. I hadn't known what they were when I picked them up, but ever the pack-rat, I had kept hold of them.

"Yes, those are the rods. Just collect as many as you can, and you'll be able to clear the pillars easily."

"Alright. Well, you can go. I'd prefer not to see you again."

"I knew you were an honourable woman. I thank you for my life, and I wish you luck in this twisted labyrinth of death." I nodded, and the ogre mage retreated.

We inspected the collapsed passage-way, but decided it was too unstable, and the risk of bringing the entire tunnel down on our heads to great to risk blowing it all up. So we trudged back to the nearest portal, cursing Halaster's name as we went.

o - o - o - o - o

"There," said Daelan, slotting a fourth rod into the wall. He pulled the lever, and all the red pillars started to disappear."

"Boss, you thinks we gots enough rods? There be five colours in the pillars, but we only gots four coloured rods!"

"Maybe we can sneak around the white pillars," I said. We hadn't been able to find a white rod _anywhere_. I would be extremely upset if we needed to find one to make it down to the next level.

As soon as the last red pillar vanished, I stepped onto the bridge and made my way towards the remaining pillars. Carefully, I wove my way around them, and stood victorious on the other side of the bridge.

"It's fine, come on through!" I called to the others. "Just be careful not to touch those white pillars... Lathander only knows what will happen if you catch one of them!"

Before long both Daelan and Deekin were stood beside me in front of a plain door. We decided to rest before descending to the next level. We were all tired and needed to rest our minds as much as our bodies. Exploring a monster-filled, trap-riddled death-trap of a dungeon was mentally exhausting. But more than that, we wanted to give Linu and Tomi a last chance to catch up to us before we moved on.

I observed my companions as they slept; Deekin, the kobold bard whom I trusted more than I did most humans. And Daelan, the proud warrior who I was coming to slowly trust too. For a moment I regretted my self-imposed vow of celibacy; I might have enjoyed getting to know the half-orc more intimately. Most women probably wouldn't have considered him attractive, but I liked his strong features. I smiled and shook my head. _Fool me once_, I thought to myself. Then I settled down for my second night watch in Undermountain.


	7. Chains

_7. Chains_

As we made our way along the corridor on the second level of Undermountain, a goblin ran out from the shadows and fell dead at my feet with an arrow sticking out from his back. I looked up and saw two drow warriors. Daelan and I rushed forward to intercept them, and Enserric got his first taste of drow blood.

"Boss, Deekin finds this yellow chain on the dead goblin. You thinks it's important?"

"Sure, Deekin. Just keep hold of it for now," I said, barely paying him any attention. Instead, I was pondering the drow situation. It seemed logical to me that the further down inside Undermountain we went, there more drow we would encounter. And I wondered if one of them might know where my gear was. I was sorely missing my bags of holding, my custom armour... not to mention my own clean shirts.

The reason for the chains soon became obvious; two drow warriors were beating futilely at a locked door across a small wooden bridge. From what I could tell, four of these chains were the locking mechanism for the door. And I was willing to bet that these fellows had at least one other chain.

One short fight later, I discovered that neither of the drow had a chain. As you might imagine, this made me quite unhappy, because it meant somebody _else_ had the chains, and they probably wouldn't be willing to give them up easily.

There was a door set in the wall opposite the bridge, so we decided to head that way. There was still no sign that Tomi or Linu had even been down this way. I hoped that they weren't still on the first level, and I said as much to my friends.

"Well, Tomi _is_ a thief," said Daelan. "If he's sneaking around, it stands to reason that we'd see no sign of him. He wouldn't be a very good thief if he left tracks. As for Linu... all we can hope is that we'll come across some sign of her, or that she'll find _our_ tracks and follow _us_."

I couldn't argue with Daelan's logic. I only wished I had thought of it myself.

The rooms beyond the door were infested with drow and duergar. I was quickly coming to despise dealing with them, and it brought me immense satisfaction to end the lives of so many. Normally, I am not a violent person. But some folk just bring out the worst in me.

As soon as we entered a large room with several treasure chests in it, Daelan let out a gasp of surprise.

"Sinisalo! It's Tomi!" he said, running to the still body of the halfling. I hurried after him, drawing the rod from my pack as I crouched down beside the pair.

"I hope it hasn't been too long," I said, running my thumb over the rune to activate the rod. Tomi's body was enveloped in a white light, and he flailed for a moment before taking a deep, gasping breath.

"Bloody hell!" he swore as he sat up and looked around at us. "Either I just got transferred to the heavens or you lot brought me back!"

"A monster-infested dungeon might be _your_ idea of heaven, but it's not mine," I scoffed. Tomi would be alright.

"Tomi, where is Linu?" asked Daelan.

"Dunno. We got away from the drow that was chasing us, aye? Then we found some human slaves a short ways from here. I didn't like the looks of them, but Linu's poor little heart started bleeding all over the place. Of course, she had to help 'em. They told us about some djinni in a bottle that the drow had, this djinni can allegedly open up some portal of Halaster's which goes to the surface. So I came here to try to steal it. Then some drow fellow whacked me with some hefty magic and everything went dark."

"That would be my hefty magic that made everything go dark. I'm sure it can do the same again," said a drow man, stepping out of the shadows. Daelan growled, and stood protectively in front of Tomi as the short man tried to stand and get to the nearest patch of shadows. I drew Enserric into my right hand and my dagger into my left, and launched myself at the drow.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" Enserric shouted loudly at me. Too late, I realised why. Around the mage a green shield spring up, like a column around him. I tried to twist in mid-air, and my body collided with his. As I passed through the shield, a layer of acid coated my clothes and my skin, which immediately responded by becoming more scaly in an attempt to protect my vital organs from the acidic liquid.

"Aaargh!" I inelegantly cried, closing my eyes before acid could run into them. "Use ranged weapons!" I shouted, just in case the others had missed the effects of the wizard's barrier on me.

I tried to remain still as the others fought. I could feel the acid eating away at my skin, burning the scales which lay just beneath. In my hand, Enserric screamed profanities at what the acid was doing to his blade, but I ignored him as waves of pain washed over me.

"It's over, Sin," said Daelan beside me. I felt like I'd been waiting forever.

"Don't touch me!" I said. "Waterskins, quick!" I waited patiently as Daelan opened his canteen and poured the contents over my head. I almost screamed. The water seemed to soothe and burn at the same time, but I felt the blessed liquid washing the acid from my skin.

"Do me, do me!" said Enserric.

"Patience, sword. Flesh burns faster than metal," said Daelan.

"A talking sword, eh?" came Tomi's voice from somewhere near my waist.

"Talking and eroding," said Enserric sarcastically.

"Boss! Deekin gots you some more water!" said Deekin. He must have passed his canteen to Daelan, because more water was poured over my head, and it ran down my neck and my hands, washing over Enserric who sighed in relief.

At last I felt clean. I shook my head and opened my eyes, glad that I hadn't been blinded. The others were looking at me worriedly.

"You looks bad, boss," said Deekin.

I looked down at my hands; the skin was raw and peeling, and I was covered in my own blood. I remember seeing the floor moving, and wondering why it was rushing towards me. Then I passed out.

o - o - o - o - o

When I woke up, I was no longer in pain. In fact, I was resting quite comfortably on a raised, make-shift bed of crates and my blanket. There was a small fire burning on the floor in front of me, and my three companions were whispering on the other side of it with their heads down. I looked at my hands; my skin was healed, not even scarred in the slightest.

"What happened?" I asked aloud.

"Boss, you'se okay!" Deekin grinned. He flung himself onto my blanket and rested his scaly head on my shoulder.

"You went into shock," said Daelan, passing me a canteen of water. I drank from it gratefully, the cool water soothing my parched throat. I hadn't realised how thirsty I was, and I drank the entire contents.

"I'd have fainted too in the same situation," said Tomi.

"We had to force several healing potions into you," Daelan added. "Your skin was raw and peeling off." I winced at his description.

"Well, I'm fine now, thanks to the three of you," I said.

"If you'd have consulted me before rushing bodily at a high level drow wizard, we needn't have gone through all that pain," said Enserric. The sword was lying beside my 'bed'. I picked him up and lay him across my knees.

"I know. And next time, I'll listen to you. How are you now, Enserric? Are you damaged?"

"Hmph. Luckily your minions washed the acid from me before it could do permanent harm to my metal. Death by acid is hardly a fitting end for Enserric the Grey!"

I ran my hand along the hilt of the sword, and felt Enserric almost _shiver_ at my touch. He seemed reluctant to issue any further complaints.

"So," I said, gently removing Deekin from my shoulder. "Where to next?"

"That's what we've just been discussing," said Tomi, glancing slyly at Daelan. "Old misery guts here wants to go back to the inn and stock up on healing potions and whatnot, since you're almost out. I, on the other hand, think we should press on and find Linu. The elven lass is a bloody giant walking healing potion on her own!"

"And what do you want to do, Deekin?" I asked.

"Deekin just wants to write, boss."

"Very well. We'll press on and find Linu. But first, I want to have words with this djinni."

o - o - o - o - o

Tomi picked the lock of the chest on the table, and handed me a small purple flask that had been nestled inside. It didn't _look_ like a djinni bottle. In fact, it looked more like an ink-well. Perhaps this was all some sort of practical joke. I rubbed the bottle anyway. To my surprise, a man appeared before me in a puff of smoke.

"Damnable drow!" he cursed. His body, I noticed, was not fully solid, as if he wasn't entirely here. "Why must you keep... oh. I see you aren't one of those dark elves after all. Well, this could change a few things. I never liked the drow. Too demanding, very difficult to do business with. Mortal, I am in your debt for freeing me from the clutches of those vile, underground elves."

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I am Volkarion Arsetis, a powerful djinni of royal blood."

"Does that mean you'll grant me a wish?" I asked hopfully.

"You mortals have some strange preconceptions about us. Every time I cross paths with one of your kind, you seem to think I'm obligated to give you a wish. Unfortunately for you, it doesn't work that way. But I am grateful for my release. I do have something I can give you as a reward; a trinket Halaster recently gave to me for safekeeping. I suspect he didn't want the drow to get it, but I'm sure he won't mind if I give it to you. This is an activation stone for a magic portal that will allow you to move between Undermountain and Waterdeep. I seem to remember Halaster saying it was in the eastern section of Undermountain's second level."

"Thank you," I said as he handed me a large, round stone. I put it safely in the main area of my pack, nestled safely between my semi-clean shirts.

"I like you, mortal. There's something different about you, something unique. And business has been a bit slow for me since Halaster disappeared. I'm going to do you a favour, mortal. I'm going to allow you to have access to my shop, a store virtually overflowing with magical merchandise."

"Your shop?" I asked, looking around. There was no shop here. I like to think I would have noticed something like that.

"I'm a merchant dealing in rare and powerful magical items. I wander the planes collecting wondrous artifacts, then I sell them to a few very select clients. Halaster himself was one of my best customers. That's why I agreed to let him create this summoning bottle. Whenever he needed to see my shop, I was only a quick rub away. Of course, ever since the drow got their ashen fingers on the bottle I'm being summoned twenty times a day. I would never have agreed to this if I knew Halaster was going to be so careless."

"Why didn't you just destroy the drow?" Daelan asked.

"Or stop answering the summons?" added Tomil.

"The power of the bottle compels me to respond to each summons, and keeps me from taking any hostile action against the owner. But it doesn't mean I have to do business with them. The dark elves are beneath me. I won't do business with them. I keep my list of customers very exclusive. Since you've liberated my bottle from the drow, I'm going to add you to that list."

"Do you know where Halaster is?" I asked Volkarion.

"I can only speculate, mortal. Halaster always kept the summoning bottle on his person, so I would surmise the drow had somehow obtained the bottle directly from the wizard. But I doubt Halaster would have willingly turned the summoning bottle over to them. The mage has the same dislike for the dark elves as I do. I suspect the bottle was forcibly taken from him, which means Halaster must now be a prisoner of the drow... if he's still alive."

"Do you know why the drow have come here in such numbers?"

"The reasons behind the actions of you mortals are almost always the same; greed, the hunger for power, the desire to conquer. I imagine the drow are bent on personal gain at the expense of everyone else. However, I don't know any specific details. Why the drow specifically chose this time and place, and what they have done or intend to do with Halaster are as much a mystery to me as to you."

"Can I see the contents of your shop?"

"Of course!" The djinn snapped his fingers, and a row of ethereal tables sprang into view, holding equally ethereal goods.

"Why do they look so... transparent?" I asked.

"Technically they're physically in my home plane. This is an image of them. You can look all you like, each item comes with a description so you know what it is and what it does, but you can't touch the merchandise until it's paid for. And my prices are non-negotiable."

I spent some time perusing the goods on the tables, examining the labels and descriptions. Volkarion seemed to have quite a large collection, though there wasn't anything that stood out and screamed "buy me!".

"And so the boss looked carefully at all the shiny extra-planar goods that Vol-car-eon Ar... Ars... Arse... that the djinni conjured forth. The boss didn't seem interested in anything much, but the faithful kobold companion noticed a very nice cloak that the boss could have had to replace her old dirty one that made her look like a homeless person. The djinni glared at the faithful kobold companion, and so he did not see when Tomi Undergallows tried to slip one of the ephemeral items into his pocket. Sadly for Tomi, the item could not be touched, and remained where it was on the table."

I grinned to myself at Deekin's commentary as he scribbled in his notebook. Though he didn't realise it, Deekin's observations where genuinely funny, mainly because of his naïveté.

I told Volkarion that there wasn't anything I was interested in from his shop right now, and he disappeared back into the flask, thanking me again for freeing him from the drow.

"Well, lead us to Linu," I said to Tomi. He gave me one of his trademark cheeky grins, and set off eastward along the corridor.


	8. Tyger Tyger

_8. Tyger Tyger_

The eastern section of the second level was guarded by what I can only describe as human-shaped tigers with an unhealthy love of destructive magic. We had to dispatch several of the creatures - Enserric called them 'outsiders', but that meant little to me - and Tomi swore that they hadn't been there last time he had come this way with Linu. Luckily, our combative skills proved to much for them, and soon Tomi was leading us to another door. When he opened it, I noticed a group of rag-wearing humans milling around the room. One of them, a man, rushed towards me as soon as he saw me.

"The... the rakshasa in the other room are dead. Did... did you kill them? Are you... are you here to save us?" he asked, hope in his eyes.

"The rakshasa are dead," I told him. "But who are you?"

"My name is Shareesh, leader of these people. Or at least, as much a leader as any. You see, everyone here is a slave, a poor soul bound and forced to serve the mad wizard Halaster."

"You is slaves?" said Deekin. "That very sad. Deekin not believes in slavery. Unless masters want slaves to sing and dance and tell stories. That's what Old Master do with Deekin. That be okay, I guess."

"Sadly, our duties are far removed from singing and dancing. Halaster prefers other, more deadly, diversions. He enjoys watching adventurers die; that's why he created Undermountain. The rakshaka outside were supposed to protect us from the other creatures here in Undermountain. And to make sure we never tried to escape. Not that we could have tried, in any case. Halaster's magic bound us to this place. But now Halaster has disappeared, and the spells binding us here have faded."

"So now that I've killed the rakshasa, you're free to leave?"

"I wish it were that easy, my lady. But there are many terrible creatures roaming the halls of Undermountain, to say nothing of all the drow who have recently appeared. It would be suicide for us to venture out of these chambers. A few of us might escape these halls, but mose would never make it to the surface alive. But there might be another way for us to escape this place. There is a magic portal in this section of the dungeon, a back door if you will. Halaster built it as an emergency escape route. The portal can only be used by someone who possesses the proper activation stone. Without it, the portal is useless - a false hope to tempt and torture us. But if we could get that stone..."

"I have it," I told him.

"You have the stone? Quickly, give it to me so we can escape this place once and for all!"

Just as I was about to hand over the stone, I felt something moving in my pack. Smoke poured forth, and Volkarion stood before us.

"Forgive the intrustion," he said, "but I don't think you want to give the activation stone to these... hmm, what are you pretending to be this time, Shareesh?"

"This is none of your concern, you semi-sentient puff of wind! Get back in your bottle where you belong!" Shareesh hissed.

"I never liked you much, Shareesh. I'll go, but first I think this mortal needs to see you in your true form!" The djinni cast some sort of spell, and Shareesh began to flicker. An instant later it was not a human slave who stood before me, but a rakshasa.

"You will pay for this, Volkarion! After I feast on this human fool's flesh, I will bind you to my service for a thousand years!" rasped Shareesh.

"I'd be more worried about what this mortal is going to do to you, Shareesh. I'll be back inside my bottle if anyone needs me." Then he disappeared. _Typical bloke_, I thought. _Show up for the fun then disappear when trouble starts._

Rakshasa were quickly added onto the long list of things about Undermountain that I dislike. The wizards amongst them were fond of calling down great storms of ice, which I had to dodge whilst trying to fight. I wasn't always fast enough, either. Several times, falling shards of ice grazed my skin. My newly found armour was quickly dented. I was _livid_.

Tomi and I fought back to back, whilst Daelan protected Deekin from the weapons of the inhuman beasts. The rakshasa weren't the best swordsmen in the world, but they had the advantage of numbers. Then, just when I thought that I couldn't stand to take another hit, the rakshasa before me fell backwards. A crossbow bolt had lodged itself in his eye, piercing his brain. And when he fell, no more rakshasa came forward to take his place.

"Thanks be to Lathandar," I gasped, painting for breath and bleeding from half a dozen cuts. "And to you, Deekin, for your good aim."

"Aww, Deekin just doing his bit, boss!"

"I've found Linu!" called Tomi from another room. I hadn't even seen him sneak off.

We found Linu's body stuffed inside a stone coffin. Her corpse was mangled almost beyond recognition. She literally looked like she'd been ripped to pieces. I had to resist the desire to empty my stomach at the sight of her, and my companions didn't look much better off. Still, I withdrew the rod of resurrection and aimed it at the corpse. I had to at least try, though I had strong doubts about the abilities of the rod to raise somebody this desecrated.

I couldn't bring myself to watch as the magic of the rod began knitting Linu's flesh slowly back together again. Instead I closed my eyes, and didn't look again until I heard her gasp air into her repaired lungs.

"Give her a moment to come around," said Tomi. "It messes with your head a little, dying and being brought back like that. Sorta like the morning after a night in a tavern... you can't remember where you are or who you're with. I remember this one time I woke up in such a situation to find some half-ogre looking lass lying beside me in bed. I tried to get away, but somehow me hands were tied to the bedpost. Don't really know how that happened, but I thought I'd make the best of a bad situation, so I..."

"Thank you, Tomi," said Linu, fixing her gaze on the halfling. "My senses have come back to me, and I have no desire to hear the rest of this escapade."

"How do you feel?" I asked her.

"Tired, aching and hungry. You brought me back dear, didn't you? Thank you. I should have sensed that there was something wrong about those slaves. But they turned into rakshasa before I could even act."

"I told ya there was something off about them, didn't I?" Tomi said. "But no, don't listen to ol' Tomi, what does he know? Instead, you sent me off to die at the hands of the drow, whilst your bleeding little heart got ripped to shreds by those rakshasa. It's like I always say... no good deed ever goes unpunished."

"Well we're both alive and well now, so I don't see what you're complaining about. Now, I take it that the way behind us is clear?" she asked. I nodded. "Good. If you don't mind, I'd like to return to Durnan's inn. I really can't face any more of Undermountain. And don't worry about me, I can find my way back without any aid."

"Actually, if you're willing to wait an hour or so, we have the activation stone for a portal that goes straight to Waterdeep. We can all go together. What do you say?"

"Very well," she nodded, and began helping us search through the plethora of rakshasa corpses for anything of use or value.

o - o - o - o - o

We were a bleeding and bedraggled party when we returned to Yawning Portal Inn. White Thesta immediately healed our wounds with her magic, though she could not take away the mental exhaustion that we felt. Durnan suggested that we rest for a while before returning to Undermountain, but I could not be convinced to stay. Every moment that Halaster was (hopefully) a captive of the drow was a moment where the dark elves and dwarves could move freely through Undermountain to launch their attacks on the surface. So Deekin, Daelan, Tomi and I returned to the darkness of the mad wizard's dungeon.

We had three chains in total; one recovered from the goblin corpse, one from the drow wizard who had inflicted so much damage for me, and another from the corpse of Shareesh. The only place we had not yet visited was the northern section, so we made our way straight there. Other than being goblin-infested, the northern section was unremarkable. We quickly carved our way through the masses of small goblin bodies, and retrieved the fourth chain from the corpse of the goblin leader. Feeling tired but victorious, we made our way to the locked door.

"There," said Daelan as he affixed the last chain to the pedestals in the centre of the floor. "Now what?"

"Deekin thinks there be something to do with that pool of swirling colours," said Deekin, jumping up and down by the pool in an attempt to see into it. Raised on a pedestal of its own, it was a little too high for Deekin and Tomi to see into.

"That's typical of a mad human wizard, you know," said Tomi. "No consideration for the vertically challenged adventurer in this modern day and age."

I pressed a button on the front of the pool, and colours appeared above the water.

"Purple, red, purple, green red yellow," said Deekin. Daelan and I pulled the corresponding chains as Deekin called out the colours, and the door in front of us opened with a loud _click_. Cautiously, we entered the room.

"Hey! How you get past them doors? Halaster always said there weren't no way past them once the chains was gone," said a monstrosity in front of me. It looked like somebody had stitched together body parts of a dozen random creatures to make something piecemeal.

"It be a flesh-golem, boss!" Deekin whispered to me. I smiled at him. He had obviously seen my confusion and decided to educate me so that I did not seem ignorant.

"I found the four chains," I told the construct.

"Found the chains and thumped them drow, I bet. That'll learn them. Halaster's gonna be real proud of you for that," it replied.

"How do you know about Halaster?"

"I know he made me. At least, he told me that before the drow captured him. And I got no reason to think he's lying seeing as how he's my dad and all."

"Halaster's your father?"

"What do you mean by that? Do you think I'm lying? I don't lie! Halaster is so my father. He even told me so. Halaster made me. Told me he sewed me together himself. I helped him run this place. Everyone used to be real nice to me. They used to smile and nod and say 'Hello, Berger'."

"People treats you nice when you gots big friends. That's why Deekin never has to worry when Boss is around!" said Deekin.

"The dark elves have Halaster prisoner, then?" I asked before Deekin could go off on a tangent.

"That's right. My dad's in the clutches of them... them dark skinned... pointy-eared... silver-haired... no good drow! Now they're after me, too! Ever since they grabbed up my dad, them drow have been trompin' around Undermountain wherever they please. That's not right. Halaster doesn't like people just marching around here. But they can't kill dad, or Undermountain will come crashin' down around their ears. So they keep him alive. And when he gets out, he's going to be _mad_. Then them drow'll be sorry!"

"Do you have a plan to free him?"

"Me? Uh...no. Wait! I could... no. Oh, I know! I'll just... no. I don't got no plan. I'm not real good at planning."

"Guess I'll have to come up with a plan on my own, then," I sighed.

"You will? Yippee! I know you'll do it, too. I can tell just by looking at you. As soon as he's free again, he'll take care of those dark elves! He'll make them sorry they were mean to me. Them and all the others. They'll all be sorry. Real sorry. He'll put things right, like before. Monsters in Undermountain will stay in Undermountain, and them drow will be booted back down to the Underdark where they belong!"

"Where is Halaster being held?"

"Down on the lower levels somewhere. I don't really know where. I been spending all my time running from the drow and the rest of the creatures here."

"Right. Well. You just stay here and try to keep out of trouble," I said.

"Don't worry, I will. Say hi to dad for me when you see him!"

"I thought golems were supposed to be mindless constructs," I said quietly to my friends as we made our way to the stairs at the back of the room.

"Clearly Halaster felt that a mindless construct was not enough, and found a way to imbue it with intelligence," said Daelan.

"Ha, if ya can call that bloody thing intelligent! A walking mess is what I'd call it."

"And that's why you don't have many friends, Tomi."

"Bah, friends are overrated! I have meself, and that's all I need."

"I hope Halaster is being held on the next level," I said to break up their conversation. "It feels like there's no end to this place."

"He's gotta be close by," said Tomi confidently. "After all, nothing goes on forever."


	9. Allies in the Shadows

_9. Allies in the Shadows_

We tramped wearily down the stairs... and walked straight into a party of drow who were waiting in ambush for us. I was so tired that my body moved automatically, whilst my mind protested all the while that it was time for rest.

Enserric laughed as he sliced through the arm of a drow warrior, forcing the elf to drop his sword. Then, as a coup de grâce, I whirled around, beheading the elf. My clothes were sprayed with his blood as his still-moving corpse fell to the ground.

I moved on to another attacker. Bolts and arrows whizzed through the air as Deekin and Tomi used their respective crossbow and short bow to pick choice body-parts as their targets. Daelan swung his massive two-headed axe with skill and strength. I could barely pick the weapon up and hold it comfortably, yet Daelan wielded it almost effortlessly. It made me re-evaluate his strength. As a dragon disciple, I was blessed with greater strength than would normally be expected in somebody of my height and weight, yet Daelan was stronger even than me.

Eventually, all the drow were dead, and my blood-soaked companions and I stood victorious amongst the carnage. I delved into my pack for my supply of bandages and the bag of herbs I had purchased from Thesta before heading back into Undermountain, and began patching up the minor scrapes and cuts we had received. I wanted to save the new healing potions for emergencies.

I helped Tomi and Deekin to pick through the drow corpses for valuables and salvageables whilst Daelan did a quick scout of the area in case any more dark elves were waiting for us. He reported the immediate area clear, and we set off again.

I heard a sound from the shadows, and whirled with my hands instinctively reaching for my weapons. Before I could draw them, however, a woman stepped out from the shadows; a dark-skinned, white-haired drow woman. She held her empty hands high, palms facing me

"Hold your weapons, I mean you no harm," she said, in a sultry voice.

"Right. A drow who means me no harm. Sure," I replied.

"I'm not surprised that you are suspicious, but not every drow is after you blood. I merely wish to talk, if you will allow me."

"Alright. You can start with who you are and what you're doing here."

The woman smiled and relaxed. "My name is Nathyrra... and you are the one they call Sinisalo, aren't you?"

"How do you know my name?" I highly doubted that Deekin's book had been sold as far as the Underdark.

"You are something of a legend amongst my people," she smiled.

"Your people? You mean the drow?"

"Yes... and no. My people are drow, but we are not like the ones who have attacked you. We are rebels, who oppose the Valsharess and her campaign against the surface."

"The Valsharess? Who's that?"

"She is the matron mother... the ruler... of House Kilath. Once, Kilath was a weak house, below the notice of the other, more powerful factions. But within weeks, it went from being the weakest to the strongest. The Valsharess conscripted agents from other houses, to form the Red Sisters. They are powerful assassins, and she uses them to keep the other houses in-line."

"And your people are rebelling against her?"

"Yes. Some of us chose to leave the cruelty of drow society willingly. Others were driven out or banished. But our goals are the same... to stop the Valsharess before she conquers us completely."

"So where are your people? Why aren't they up here, fighting along side me?" I asked. I was getting a _little_ fed up of people expecting me to do all the hard work.

"It's... not that simple. Suffice it to say, we don't entirely trust you... yet. As I'm sure you do not entirely trust me. For now, the only way we are willing to help you is with information."

"Fine. Tell me what you know."

"Halaster is being kept on this level, far from here. He is being guarded by a powerful drow war-party, which you must defeat in order to free him. So far, the Valsharess hasn't wanted to risk killing Halaster in case she loses control of Undermountain entirely. But I believe he is being tortured for information. And there is something else. To the south of here, several drow overseers have enslaved a Formian colony by capturing their queen. I think that if you were to free the queen, the colony would be in your debt. They could be a useful ally to you."

"Boss, what's a Formian?" Deekin asked me. I shrugged. I had no idea.

"A Formian is a huge, ant-like creature. They're very intelligent... or at least, their queens are. Normally they are quite benign, only attacking in defence, which is probably how the drow were able to enslave them in the first place."

"I might check out this... Formian... queen," I said, and Nathyrra smiled. I wasn't getting any bad vibes from her... but on the other hand, I hadn't gotten any from Shareesh right before he tried to kill me, either. I wasn't really the best judge of character in the world.

"Good luck. I think I will be seeing you again," said Nathyrra. Then she melted back into the shadows. Tomi let out a whistle.

"That lass could teach me a thing or two about blending into the darkness!"

"Surely we're not going to trust this drow, Sin?" asked Daelan worriedly.

"For now, I don't trust anybody but you three. But there's no harm in seeing if her advice turns out to be correct. Let's see if we can find ourselves a Formian queen."

o - o - o - o - o

Nathyrra's advice turned out to be sound, and as thanks for freeing her kind from slavery, the Formian queen and her colony helped us defeat a group of drow who were blocking our advance through Undermountain.

The next time the drow woman appeared was as we progress north through the third level of Undermountain. She appeared as quietly and unobtrusively as she had done last time, stepping out from the shadows.

"Hello again, Sinisalo. I've been waiting for you. You're earlier than I thought. I take it the drow didn't give you too much trouble?" she asked.

"Oh, absolutely no trouble at all," I lied. "So, what this time? Stopped by for another pep talk?"

"Something like that. I'm here to tell you that I've scouted this area a little, and have come across a drow encampment. A little further ahead there is a bridge to the encampment, but if you cross it, you will be running head on into the drow. And they have ballista that would smash you to pieces before you got very far."

"Doesn't sound too promising."

"No, but there is a way around the camp... if you follow the tunnel to the right, it will lead you via a hidden passage around the back of the encampment. It will take you right to the ballista, and you can use the drow's own weapons against them. You can rain down death from above without risking your lives."

"I like this death from above plan!" said Tomi, a gleam in his eyes.

"Thanks for the advice," I said to Nathyrra. She nodded, and slipped back into the shadows again.

"Deekin hopes that nice drow lady comes back later."

"Are you feeling a little less suspicious of Nathyrra now?" I asked Daelan.

"Perhaps just a little. But I still do not trust her entirely."

"I'd think you'd be the last person to judge others on their appearance or race," Tomi grinned. Daelan scowled at him.

"I'm not saying that we should kill her, but there's nothing wrong with showing a little caution."

"Come on, children," I said. "Don't fight each other when we have some drow to dispose of."

o - o - o - o - o

Tomi had such fun causing the drow cannons to fire at the dark elves and duergar below us that when it came time for us to leave, he begged with puppy-dog eyes to be allowed to keep one of the ballista. Of course, a single cannon was almost twice as big as him, making his idea a really dumb one to implement. I told him as much, and he sulked for at least ten minutes. Then he found some chests filled with gold and jewels, and was happy again.

Nathyrra turned up again when we began exploring a new section of tunnel. As before, her approach was silent, and she gave me one of her mysterious smiles when she saw me notice her.

"You'll be glad to know that your task to rid Undermountain of the Valsharess's forces is almost at an end," she said. "Halaster is being held just ahead by some of the Valsharess's most loyal and powerful servants. No doubt they'll attack us on sight."

"Us?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"My goal is the same as yours... to free Halaster. I think we will both be more successful if we work together in this, rather than opposing each other."

"And what's to stop you from sticking your blade into our backs the minute they are turned?" Daelan asked with a scowl. Nathyrra seemed surprised by his words, and turned to regard me with amusement.

"Do you always allow your males to speak so freely?" she asked. Tomi, who had been sniggering to himself, suddenly made a choking sound and began coughing. Daelan looked positively outraged.

"And then the sneaky drow lady asked the boss if she always let her men speak freely. The faithful kobold companion wonders who sneaky drow lady is talking about," Deekin said aloud as he scribbled in his notepad.

"Ah, they're not 'my' males. And they speak for themselves, as and when they choose," I explained.

"Is this the way with _all_ surfacers?" Nathyrra asked.

"Yes," I said. "Well, most of them."

"Interesting. Perhaps you can tell me more of your customs later. For now, we should concentrate on freeing Halaster."

"Do you have a plan? A strategy?"

"Attack with speed. Take out the cleric first; she is the leader, and without her, the warriors will be more disorganised. Drow men usually require a woman to tell them what to do," she said with a mysterious half-smile. "After that, take out the wizards as fast as you can. If you are able to free Halaster, he may aid us in the fight... but I hear that he's quite mad, so it might not be best to rely on him for too much."

"Alright. Then if we're all ready, I think we should do this right now, whilst we have the element of surprise." I waited for everybody to nod in confirmation, then I drew Enserric into my right hand and my dagger into my left. It was time to finish this once and for all.


	10. Double Trouble

_10. Double Trouble_

I slashed at my opponent as he tried to hack off my leg. He ducked, and I brought my gauntleted hand down and across his face. His nose made a sickening _crack_, and he dropped his weapon to clutch at his bleeding organ. It was a fatal mistake. Enserric laughed with glee as I sliced the elf across his neck. Blood began pumping out of his jugular vein, bathing both Enserric and I in elven blood. Enserric seemed to like the taste. I, however, did not, and spit out the mouthful of metallic-tasting blood that I had almost managed to swallow.

Around me, my companions were engaged with their own opponents; Nathyrra, who seemed to possess some magical talent as well as being adept with a blade, was harassing a wizard who was trying to cast his spells. The drow cleric had already fallen to Daelan's axe, and now the half-orc was fighting two drow warriors at once. Tomi rushed from shadow to shadow, using his small daggers to hamstring his opponents, waiting for them to fall to the floor before cutting open their throats. And Deekin stood in the middle of it all, singing his doom-song and sniping anything that got too close to me with his crossbow.

At the far end of the room, an elderly human man stood in the centre of a magical circle that seemed to be powered by three stone pillars. He merely watched the proceedings with a slightly amused expression on his face. If he wasn't Halaster, then I'm the god of daffodils.

From the corner of my eye I saw Daelan take a stab to his ribs. In an instant, I was by his side, deflecting a decapitating blow from a drow sword whilst Deekin slipped a healing potion into his bloody hands. Daelan downed the potion in two gulps, then nodded his thanks to me. Without further thought for his safety, he threw himself back into the fray. _Tsk! Men!_ I thought. Then I turned my attention to another drow warrior who seemed intent on ending my existence.

Finally, the last drow fell to Nathyrra's dagger, and we all stood in silence for a moment, catching our breath and sending prayers to our respective gods that we had survived. Although we had all taken injuries, none of them were life-threatening or crippling.

I felt a smile spread across my face. _I had done it!_ I had travelled through infamous Undermountain, bested a plethora of beasts and traps designed by the mad mage Halaster, and thwarted the plans of an evil drow dominatrix. All I had left to do was free Halaster, and Deekin would have one hell of a book to write.

I used a mace that I had found earlier in Undermountain to smash at the rock pillar which formed part of Halaster's magical cage (Enserric objected loudly when I tried to use him for the task). Daelan worked on destroying a second pillar by kicking it with his strong foot, and Deekin and Nathyrra worked on breaking the last with magic. Finally, Halaster was free. Hopefully he'd give me a huge reward for this. I was overdue a payment I owed to the church of Lathander.

"You aren't the one I expected to see," said Halaster. "But I'll let you live, since you set me free."

"You were expecting somebody else to just waltz on in to Undermountain and free you from the drow?" I asked. An instant later a blinding light illuminated the room, and when I opened my eyes I saw... Halaster. Two of him!

"Finally you're here! What took you so long? I was beginning to think maybe something was wrong," said the Halaster whom I had rescued.

"Since we're both clones you should know why I'm late. To lure out the matron, I used you as bait!" said Halaster Two. "A brilliant trick, a wonderful trap. She'd come here to gloat, I'd pop in and... ZZZAAAPPP! But you meddlers ruined my plan by freeing my clone! Now the Valsharess won't dare come out from her home!"

"You mean this was all a trap? You _let_ yourself be captured?"

"Wait just a moment, my identical friend. You seem somewhat confused, and I want it to end," said Halaster One. "You were nothing but a safety device. I created a clone, and put it on ice. I knew that one day I might get into trouble. I'm the real Halaster, you're just my double."

"I think you're mistaken, you were only a ploy. I let the drow catch you, you're naught but a toy! I know how you feel, but you're not even real. You're just a double to save me from trouble! It's hard to accept, but I'm afraid that it's true. The original Halaster is me and not you."

"Which one is the clone, which is the master? How will we know the real Halaster? I can't believe this has happened. What a disaster!" said the first.

"So," I interrupted. "If I could just get my reward and go, I'll leave you two to work out your... problems."

As one, they turned towards me and narrowed their eyes. I definitely didn't like what I saw in them. Both pairs.

"We'll settle this later, when we're just one on one. But first the Valsharess must suffer for what she's done," said Halaster One. "Someone must get her, make her pay for her crime. I'd do it myself, but I can't spare the time." He waved his hands and chanted a few words, and I felt magical energy rushing through my body. It made my skin crawl, and the hair on my body stand on end.

"What in the hells was that?!" I demanded.

"Nothing much, just a spell to make sure you obey. I put a geas upon you, it's better this way. Down to the Underdark is where you will go. You're working for me now, you can't really say no."

"The geas will bind you to Halaster's service!" said Nathyrra, looking panic-stricken. "He's compelled you to enter the Underdark and kill the Valsharess. If you don't obey him, you'll wither away and die."

"Oh great. That's just fantastic. I'm never helping anybody again, if this is the thanks I get."

"What can I say?" said Halaster One. "Everyone knows I'm insane. No doubt you'll know better if this happens again. You have no choice but to do as I say. But once the Valsharess is dead, my spell goes away. After that I promise you'll truly be free... but don't do something foolish, like come after me."

"Hey! Deekin not like it when people talk to boss like that!" said Deekin angrily.

"Your kobold is brave, though not too bright. Just the kind of ally you might need in this fight. I'll send him with you when you go down below. He just might prove useful - you never know."

"If you're sending the kobold down there, ye better send me too, wizard! The Underdark is full of shadows and traps and treasures! It's like I was born for that place!" said Tomi.

"You don't tell me what to do! I'm in charge here, not you! I'll send _you_ back to the top. Let Waterdeep know the invasion will stop. I'm cleaning house, the drow are no more. Undermountain will be as it was before."

"Please, Halaster," said Nathyrra, a note of begging entering her voice. "Send me down as well. Sinisalo will need help, and I have allies in the Underdark. The Seer also wants to stop the Valsharess. Please."

"You make a good point, and you asked real nice. Very well, drow, I'll take your advice. You can go too, I won't leave you here. I'll send you with Sinisalo to the camp on the Seer. Enough time has been wasted, I want you to go. The Valsharess is waiting, far down below."

"Wait! I need time to prepare for this!" I said desperately.

"So sorry, no time, you really must go. Don't worry, it's fine, you'll do well, I know," said Halaster One.

"Goodbye, best wishes, I bid you good luck. Go kill the Valsharess, because until then you're stuck," said Halaster Two.

The last thing I saw was the faces of Daelan and Tomi, looking at me in horror. Then everything went dark.


	11. Down Under

_11._ _Down Under_

The world spun into view, and I heaved myself to my feet, resisting the urge to heave the contents of my stomach too. Wherever I was, the place seemed to be spinning violently. It took me a moment to comprehend that it wasn't the world which was spinning, but my vision. I staggered as I stood, like a newborn foal that has yet to find its legs.

Then something barrelled into me, knocking me over and forcing my vision to clear. Thast's when I spotted the dozen or so armed drow warriors, bearing towards me with their swords unsheathed. Enserric whispered that it might be a good idea for me to do the same, but before I could act on his advice, a voice called out.

"Halt! Do you not recognise one of our own? Nathyrra, it is good to see you again."

I took three seconds to study everybody in the room, and in that time I could pick out only two people worthy of note. The first was the woman who had spoken. Like my newest companion, she was drow, but her eyes were kindly, and she seemed both old and young, both wise and innocent. She was, quite simply put, one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen. She reminded me of a mother.

The other notable person was a tall man who hovered protectively behind the drow woman; he was as tall as Daelan, and, I noticed, he had horns protruding from his head. And he had a tail. And his eyes were so light blue that they were almost white. Everybody else in the room was drow and male, and also heavily armed.

"It is good to see you too, Mother Seer," said Nathyrra behind me, dropping a small courtesy. I disengaged myself from Deekin, who was the one who had flown into me on arrival, and made an effort at decorum as I pulled myself to my feet. Of course, _Nathyrra_ had landed perfectly on her feet, and seemed none the worse for our teleportation. _Bloody elves_, I swore mentally.

The older drow woman's eyed twinkled when she looked at me, almost as if she had heard my thoughts. I shivered. Just a little.

"And you, surfacer. It is good to see you in the flesh," she said to me.

"You've seen me before?"

"Only in your dreams, when I sent you a warning of your assassination. I am glad you averted that fate. I know you would prove resourceful... though I am surprised at your sudden arrival here. How did you come to be in the Underdark so quickly? It took Nathyrra many days to climb to the surface."

"Halaster teleported us down here after he put a geas on Sinisalo," said Nathyrra, answering for me. The Seer's eyes widened.

"A geas?"

"To kill this... 'Valsharess' woman," I elaborated.

"I am sorry that Halaster violated you in such a way. I had hoped that you would come here of your own accord to aid us, once you learned of our plight and the danger that the Valsharess represents not only to us, but to the surface world. Still... you are here now, and our cause has become your cause, even if it was not by your choice."

"I would have come here eventually to try to stop the Valsharess anyway," I said with a shrug. "Now the only difference is that if I don't try to stop her, I'll die."

"We will of course do everything that we can to aid you, starting with information."

"Seer... you know that I trust your judgement," said the horned man. His tail lashed from side to side, like an irate cat. "But I do not have the same faith in your visions. How can you put all of your trust into this woman, this stranger? We know nothing about her."

"Have faith, dear Valen," said the Seer, turning to address the man. "Visions of this woman were sent to me by Eilistraee, and I cannot doubt my goddess in this." The man grumbled, but said no more as the Seer turned back to me.

"Now that we've established that violence isn't required," I said before she could speak again, "would you mind if we talked more after I've rested? I'm kind of exhausted, and Halaster's spell has left me with a terrible headache."

"Of course. Please forgive me for not offering you rest and comfort earlier. Nathyrra, will you show Sinisalo and her... companion," she said, aiming a curious look at Deekin, "to rooms?"

"Of course, Mother Seer," said Nathyrra, curtsying again.

The young drow woman led me from the large chamber, and I followed her down a dark, cold corridor.

"Where is this place?" I asked her, looking around at the grim decor.

"This was the temple of Lolth, the spider goddess, in Lith My'athar."

"Well, that explains the obsession with spiders," I said, gesturing at a painting of a spider devouring an elven male. No doubt a surface elf. "Wait... it _was_ the temple of Lolth?"

"Lolth is... missing," said Nathyrra with a slight hesitation.

"Missing? How long has she been missing for? How does a god go missing?"

"We don't know. The Priestesses of Lolth hid her absence for some time before it was noticed. Now, they are virtually powerless."

"But the Seer is not." It was not a question, but Nathyrra answered me anyway.

"No, the Seer's power comes from Eilistraee, not from Lolth. All who follow the Seer eschew the violence of the spider goddess, myself included."

I said nothing more as Nathyrra let myself and Deekin into two adjacent rooms, then left us. She had given me much to think on... The Seer, Lolth's absence, the temple... I would have to go over the information more carefully when my head was pounding less. For now, I contented myself with washing as much blood as possible from my body and clothes, stripping to my undergarments and climbing into the large, circular bed. Within moments I was asleep, thoroughly exhausted by my ordeal at the hands of the mad mage Halaster.

o - o - o - o - o

I woke up several hours later, not knowing if it was morning or evening. During my time in Undermountain, I had lost all sense of night and day. The tiredness I had been feeling was not just the normal tiredness associated with walking and fighting, but my body's tenseness at losing its natural diurnal rhythms. This place was perpetually dark, the only light generated artificially by the drow. There was no sun, no moon, no stars. Not knowing _when_ I was, I felt lost.

Deekin came into my room not long after I had dressed, and I allowed him to plait my long hair whilst we sat on my bed and chatted about our first impressions of the Underdark. Deekin's notebook and quill lay on the bed beside him, and he occasionally glanced at it longingly. But, with his hands being full of my hair, he was unable to make note of my comments, for which I was grateful; I had to watch what I said when Deekin was around, lest it appear verbatim in a later book. As he was talking about the artwork in his room, I heard voices outside my door, and hushed him.

"Valen," said a voice which I recognised as belonging to Nathyrra. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I'm here to see if our _saviour_ is awake and ready to speak more about her task yet. And you?"

"I'm bringing Sinisalo some breakfast."

"Hmph. You never brought _me_ breakfast."

"_You_ haven't been living on rations for days. Besides, she fought so hard to get here, she deserves a little luxury. You should have seen her fighting, she was amazing. Completely fearless." I groaned silently. I would have to stop that sort of thinking... the last thing I needed was hero-worship.

"What is that... surfacer food? Where in the hells did you get surfacer food down _here_?"

"You'll find that the duergar are more resourceful than most of my kin, at least where trading is concerned." There was silence for a moment.

"Let me try it."

"No way! This isn't for you!"

"And if the duergar have _poisoned_ it, in an attempt to get rid of our 'saviour'? The majority of them _are_ allied with the Valsharess. Or have you conveniently forgotten that? Perhaps you've allowed it to be poisoned. I'm sure you'd go to great lengths to get rid of competition... you're no longer the Seer's favourite female, after all, with the arrival of our guest."

"Silence your tongue, you have no idea what you're talking about. If I hadn't wanted Sinisalo to be here, I would have killed her on the surface and told the Seer she had been killed in battle. I'm not _stupid_, Valen. You, however... you reek of jealousy. Worried that the Seer has found a new pet, no doubt. Don't worry, I'll see to it that she remembers to give you a scrap of food and a kind word every once in a while."

There was a knock at my door then. I took a moment to prop up Enserric where he could better hear me speaking, and took my dagger from beneath my pillow and began cleaning beneath my nails with the tip of the blade.

"Enter," I called after a moment. Nathyrra sauntered in carrying a tray, and Valen followed her. Both of them stopped and stared at Deekin plaiting my hair, then Nathyrra seemed to remember her manners.

"Good day Sinisalo, I hope you slept well. I've brought you some breakfast," she said, placing the tray on my bedside table. I glanced at it briefly and saw cooked eggs and what I _hoped_ were sausages. Then I smiled at her.

"Thank you," I said. "And what did you bring for Deekin?"

"Err... excuse me?" she replied, looking at a loss. Valen smirked at her back.

"Surely you can't have forgotten Deekin? He has quite the appetite, you know." Nathyrra stared at both myself and Deekin for a moment longer, and I could see that she was debating whether or not it was worth lowering herself to bringing food for a kobold to avoid risking my ire by slighting me. Eventually she decided that she would rather lower herself than possibly anger the Seer's "new pet".

"Of course. I wasn't expecting Deekin to be in your room... I'll go and fetch his breakfast now," she lied, and left in a darker mood than she had arrived in.

Valen was still smirking at Nathyrra's discomfort, and I decided that he needed humbling a little too.

"Would you like Deekin to do your hair next?" I asked him. "It looks like it hasn't seen a brush in days."

He subconsciously raised a hand to his bright red hair that was tied in a tail at the back of his neck.

"Deekin likes doing boss's hair, since he has none of his own. Hair feels so nice in Deekin's hands," my small friend commented. Valen scowled at him.

"I think I can manage my own hair," he said.

"Are you sure?" I asked. "Kobold fingers are very dextrous." For some reason, his scowl turned into a faint blush. And so it was that Nathyrra found us a minute later, carrying a second tray of food which she placed by the first. She looked at Valen, fidgeting a little, and me, relaxed on my bed, and she immediately looked a little happier.

"Thank you, Nathyrra," I said, knowing that I would never again have to ask for Deekin to be shown the same courtesy as me. "Would you both mind coming back in about half an hour? Deekin and I have some things to discuss while we eat breakfast."

They both left, closing the door behind them, and I tucked into my food.


	12. Questions and Answers

_12. Questions and Answers_

As I had requested, Nathyrra and Valen returned half an hour later, and proceeded to talk over each other at me for a good five minutes. I let them drone on whilst I cast my mind back to recent events. Now that Halaster was free, the surface would be safe... at least, safe from the Valsharess. There was still plenty of things it _wasn't_ safe from, but I could do little about that right now. I noticed Deekin taking notes about what the pair in front of me were saying, and I raised a hand for silence.

"I haven't listened to a word either of you have said," I told them honestly. "And I won't listen to what you have to say until you stop acting like children and start showing me a little respect. I've spent the past three days fighting my way down here, and I've been here, in unfamiliar territory, for all of five minutes before you've started haranguing me. Now, I would like to see a little more of this place, and to go somewhere that we can sit and relax and talk like adults about what I need to do from here."

They both stood there for a moment, opening and closing their mouths like carp, before Nathyrra indicated for me to follow her. Deekin was right on my heels, and Valen followed us both. Nathyrra led me out of the temple and its grim artwork, and into what I can only describe as a huge cavern. There were buildings sprawling out around me, and I could see merchants and traders going about their business. It could almost have passed for a surface village, save for a few minor things; at a distance of about a hundred paces from the buildings, the light from the settlement began to fade, giving way to darkness; there were no birds, no insects, no trees, no grass; the air was warm, yet no breeze stirred it. Underground, there was no weather.

What I _felt_ like saying, was "What a miserable, gods-forsaken place this is!" But because I have at least _some_ manners, and an inkling of tact, I said nothing. No doubt to these strange people, their home was a beautiful place. Some folks were just weird like that...

My drow companion led me to one of the buildings not far from the temple, and I was delighted to learn that it was a tavern, or at least what passed for a tavern down here. As with the temple, the decor was grim. The walls and the furniture were all angles, giving me the impression of spikes... or spider legs.

I sat down on one of the chairs, and Deekin sat by my right. Nathyrra took the chair to my left, and Valen the chair opposite me. A drow man wandered over, and spoke to Nathyrra in a language that sounded a little like elven. No doubt the language of the drow. She responded to him in kind, as did Valen. I'll be the first to admit that I'm absolutely useless with languages. Give me good old common any day. In my experience, there's nothing that can't be communicated with some good old fashioned shouting in common, accompanied by excellent miming skills. I had perfected gesticulation almost to an artform. I noticed that Deekin's head was tilted as he listened to the conversation between Nathyrra, Valen, and the drow. Deekin has a fantastic head for languages (third-person referral of himself notwithstanding) and I'd no doubt that he was trying to make out something of the conversation. It wouldn't surprise me if he was speaking drow fluently by the end of the day.

"Do you wish to order anything?" Nathyrra asked me in common.

"Sure. Give me a big plate of something dead and fried, and a glass of what passes for beer around here."

"But you just _ate_ a plate of cooked breakfast," said Valen.

"And alcohol? Don't you think it's a little early for that?" Nathyrra added.

"I'll give you a piece of advice that my old tutor gave to me," I told them, lowering my voice to a conspirational whisper. They both leaned forward to better hear me speak. "Never pass up the opportunity for a plate of hot food, a glass of cold ale, or a piss. You never know when you'll get another chance."

"I don't believe that your tutor told you that," Valen snorted as Nathyrra relayed my order to the drow waiter.

"It be true," said Deekin, rooting around in his backpack. He triumphantly held up a book, opened it at a particular page, and handed it to Valen. "See. Boss said it to Deekin long time ago. It on page three-hundred and twenty-six, paragraph four."

As Valen read the page, I groaned to myself. I would have to have _strong_ words with Deekin about flashing that book around the Underdark. I hadn't even realised that he had any copies left. The crafty little devil had told me that he'd sold them all.

In only a short time, the drow man returned with two plates of food, one each for me and Deekin, four glasses, and a pitcher of what looked like cider but tasted like the sword oil that I lovingly polished Enserric with every night since I found him. Nathyrra and Valen declined to take any of the cider-substitute, so I poured myself and Deekin a glass, and sipped mine whilst holding my breath so that I didn't have to taste it. Then I started on my plate of food (it _tasted_ like roast beef, so I decided not to question it, in case it turned out to be something more unappetising, like sautéed spider).

"So. Tell me what you think I need to know," I said, gesturing at Nathyrra with my fork.

"Very well. You remember our discussion last night, about Lolth?" she asked. I nodded. "When Lolth disappeared, the Valsharess capitalised on the fear of the drow, and the vacuum of power left by the spider queen's disappearance. She somehow managed to summon and bind an arch-devil to her service, and uses his power to further her own goals. The houses are afraid of her, and most have bent knee, as have many other races in the Underdark."

"Like the duergar," I said, remembering the attack on the Yawning Portal Inn.

"Yes. And other, more malevolent races. The Valsharess has aimed her sights high. First she intends to conquer the Underdark completely. Then she will turn her attention again to the surface. The Seer received a vision of you... apparently, the Valsharess has ordered an augury -- that's like a sort of premonition spell -- and learnt that you are the only one who can stand against her. That is why the Seer sent me to find you."

"How am I supposed to stop the Valsharess?" I asked between bites of my steak.

"I can give you information on the Valsharess's allies. Perhaps we can strike at her through them, or subvert them to our cause."

"I can help you too," said Valen. "I know much about the legends of the Underdark, and rumours of powerful artifacts and allies that we might be able to acquire."

"I thought you didn't trust me?" I smiled sweetly.

"I haven't set aside my suspicions yet. But if you're truly the saviour the Seer thinks you are, then I'm willing to give you a chance to prove it."

"So good of you. Now, tell me a little more about this Lith... whatever place you mentioned last night."

"Lith My'athar," said Nathyrra. "It is the ancestral home of House Maeviir. They, like we, oppose the Valsharess. They... tolerate our presence here. But it is difficult, and tensions are high. The drow consider us rebels, traitors, because we have abandoned our faith in Lolth and turned to Eilistraee. Under normal circumstances, we would be hunted down and killed by those of House Maeviir. But because we are the only other drow willing to stand up to the Valsharess, they allow us to remain."

"How can you help me?" I asked, turning my attention back to Valen.

"Well, for one, I've recently heard tales of some strange islands nearby. Based on the legends, there may be something on these islands that could help us against the Valsharess."

"Tell me about the islands."

"They say that one of them is inhabited by powerful golems... a potentially useful ally against the Valsharess. Another island is home to a strange settlement of people that appeared without warning overnight. Literally. It must have taken some powerful magic to bring them here... perhaps they are in possession of an artifact, or magical abilities on a level with those of Halaster. Of course, they're just rumours. If you want to know more, you should ask Cavallas. He's the boatman who travels the river."

"Cavallas? Is he a drow?"

"No. But he is... odd. He transports followers of the Seer up and down the river free of charge. Other than that, he refuses to take an active role in our fight against the Valsharess. He gives out rumours and information, and asks nothing in return. And he shows no fear of anybody or anything."

"Only stupid or powerful people fear nothing," I mused to myself. "I guess I'll find out which Cavallas is soon enough."

"And which are you, Sinisalo?" Valen asked me, his bright blue eyes regarding me with both suspicion and curiosity. I laughed.

"Neither. There's plenty that I fear. I just try not to let it get the better of me."

It was then that I noticed a young drow woman on the far side of the room. She had caught my attention by twirling a silver necklace in her hands so that it caught the light, and now she gestured for me to approach her. As soon as I left my chair, the others followed me, and the woman's two guards tensed. Whether it was because of me, or because of Nathyrra and Valen, I had no idea. But the woman indicated for me to sit in the empty chair opposite her, so I did.

"So you are the rivvil the Seer has put her faith in?" said the woman in a cold voice. "Sinisalo, isn't it? My name is Zesyyr... only daughter and sole surviving heir to Matron Myrune of House Maeviir. I was hoping that you would come to see me. I have an offer for you, but it would have drawn too much attention had I sought you out. Now that you've stumbled onto me, however..."

"What kind of offer?" I asked suspiciously. I knew better than to trust most people who said they had an 'offer' for me.

"My House has fallen on hard times. Matron Myrune, my mother, has brought us to the very brink of destruction. Many believe it is a time to change. Many believe I should rule. Of course, my mother is no fool. She understands the danger I represent, which is why she has exiled me from the tower where she dwells. She thinks she is safe inside high walls."

"Obviously she isn't as safe as she thinks," Nathyrra said to Zesyyr. "I know this is how we were brought up, but there is another path we can take. One that isn't fraught with betrayal and death. Eilistraee can-"

"Don't throw your god in my face!" Zesyyr spat. "We can't all run away to the surface; some of us have to survive down here in the Underdark. And that means plotting to assure my own future. My mother thinks I am no longer a threat, but I have more support than she knows. All I need to complete my coup is an assassin powerful enough to kill her and her bodyguard."

"You want me to kill your own mother?" I asked, disgusted at the woman for even suggesting such a thing.

"These are the kind of allies we are counting on to stand with us against the Valsharess?" said Valen quietly behind me. I could tell that he, too, had no desire for murder.

"Surely you aren't surprised?" Zesyyr laughed. "This is the way of the drow. The Matron Mothers raise their daughters knowing full well we are scheming to replace them as soon as we come of age."

"Aren't you afraid of being found out?" I asked.

"Matron Myrune already suspects I am plotting against her. But rumours and hearsay aren't enough to make her act. She can't kill off her last surviving heir without indisputable proof. If you were to tell her what I told you, it would be just another unsubstantiated rumour. She's not going to move based on anything you tell her."

"And why should I care? One drow ruling a house is the same as another drow ruling a house. Whether you are in charge, or your mother is, makes no difference to me."

"Oh, but it does. I know my mother. She doesn't believe we can defeat the Valsharess, and she's afraid. Do you really believe she will fight by the Seer's side when the Valsharess attacks? Matron Myrune will betray your Seer the first chance she gets. I, however, actually believe we can defeat the Valsharess. I won't turn on my allies at the first sign of trouble."

"Like you've turned on your mother?" I said.

"Consider this: Matron Myrune has lost her ambition, she would rather serve the Valsharess than die. I still have my ambition, and I won't bow so easily before our common enemy. I'll tell you what, take this signet ring," she said, removing a ring from her finger. "Walk around Lith My'athar a little. Listen to what my mother's soldiers are saying. And when you are finally convinced that they believe our cause hopless -- and these are the voices which my mother listens to -- take the ring to the guards outside my mother's tower. They have sworn their allegience to me. They will let you into the tower and summon my mother and Tebimar, her guard. Kill them both, and quickly. Then I will become Matron Mother of House Maeviir, and I can begin cleansing the ranks of cowardice."

I took the ring, and deposited it in my pocket along with the artifact I could never be rid of. Zesyyr dismissed me, turning to speak to her guards in the drow tongue.

"Come on, let's get out of here," I said to Deekin, but including Nathyrra and Valen in my conversation. "I think I'd like to get back to my room in the temple. I seem to have lost my appetite."


	13. A Helping Hand

_13. A Helping Hand_

I lay on my stomach on my bed, turning the ring that Zesyyr had given me over and over in my hands. What kind of people assassinated their own family? Granted, it wasn't _entirely_ unusual for the heir to a surface throne or a fortune to conveniently die, allowing a younger sibling or more distant relative to inherit. But at least nobody tried to involve _me_ in their plots and schemes. Nobody asked _me_ to murder.

I realised that it was a somewhat odd view to possess. I'm an adventurer, right? Killing shouldn't make me squeamish. But I like to think that there's a fine line that separates adventurers from murderers. I only ever kill in self-defence. And most of the time, the killing involves hostile humanoids, such as orcs, trolls, andsoforth. In killing them, even in self-defence, I am making the realms a safer place. I'm not stupid or desperate enough to try to use that excuse to justify my actions. Rather, I like to think of it as a byproduct of my adventuring.

But what Zesyyr was asking me to do was pretend to extend the hand of friendship to her mother, and then cut that hand, and probably a lot of other body parts, off. One thing I am terrible at is duplicity. I've never been able to meet a person and pretend to be their friend, whilst plotting to betray them. There's something in my eyes that gives it away, I think. I'm a terrible liar.

There was a knock on my door, and I put the ring back into my pocket, bringing myself into a sitting position before calling that it was okay to enter. It was the Seer herself who stepped into my room, for once not surrounded by a cadre of bodyguards. When I expressed my surprise at that, she smiled.

"They are a little over-protective at times, especially when I am threatened, but they know that I am safe enough with you," she explained.

"You really do believe that, don't you? You believe that I'm going to save everybody from the Valsharess."

"Of course. It is what the goddess has shown to me."

"I don't suppose she showed you _how_ I'm going to destroy this dark elven bitch?" I asked hopefully.

"Regretfully not. Eilistraee does not show me everything, only what she believes I need to know. I have asked Nathyrra and Valen to help you. They know the Underdark well, and can give you valuable information, as well as lending you their skills."

"I've already spoken to them," I said, waving dismissively.

"Is something troubling you, my friend?" asked the Seer, lowering herself regally onto my bed.

"I met a charming young woman named Zesyyr who asked me to murder her mother."

"Ah. I was afraid that something like this would happen."

"Something like this?"

"That you would be drawn into the deadly world of drow politics. I am sorry that Zesyyr has put you in this position. It is likely that she saw in you a chance to seize house Maeviir from her mother."

"She said that her mother is getting desperate, that she won't stay our ally for very long. That sooner or later she will bend knee to the Valsharess, just like all the other houses have done."

"That is unfortunately true," said the Seer sadly. "At first, Matron Myrune was a strong, vocal opponent of the Valsharess. But every day that we spend here, trapped and powerless, she has become more and more withdrawn, more and more reclusive. She will not even hold an audience with me anymore, and no longer sends her generals to our pre-determined meetings to discuss battle plans and strategies. I fear Myrune worries that the Valsharess will destroy her house completely, for daring to stand against her."

"And where will that leave your people, the rebels?"

"Without the support of House Maeviir, we stand little chance against the Valsharess. Unless you can sufficiently weaken her, of course. Even then, if House Maeviir was to turn on us, rather than just stand aside, we would likely all perish."

"So my options are murdering a woman in cold blood, or dooming the Underdark to the Valsharess' rule. And even if I did kill her, what's to stop House Maeviir from turning on us for killing their leader?"

"Drow politics do not work in that way," the Seer explained. "It is expected that Zesyyr will eventually kill Myrune for rule of House Maeviir. It is how daughters succeed their mothers. They do not inherit rulership, as surfacers do. Rather, they must seize it for themselves."

"I wish more drow were like you and Nathyrra," I sighed. The Seer laughed, a melodic, almost musical sound.

"It might surprise you to know that once, I too was a typical drow daughter, plotting to overthrow my mother, watching out for signs of treachery in my sisters. Had you told me back then what I would become, I would have laughed in your face and had you executed for daring to speak such slander."

"So what changed?"

"I found the goddess. Or rather, she found me. She bade me travel to the surface, and observe our surface kin. I spent much time there, sleeping by day, and celebrating beneath the moon by night. In ones and twos, others began to join me. We established a small settlement deep within a forest, where few surfacers ever came. But when we heard rumours about the Valsharess, we knew that we must return to the Underdark, to fight against her."

"And the fact that Lolth had disappeared had nothing to do with your return?" I asked skeptically. The Seer smiled.

"I'll admit, we did wish to capitalise on the spider-queen's absence. We wanted to try to bring more of our brothers and sisters into our fold, to educate them about Eilistraee and show them the surface."

"So why doesn't the Valsharess try to stop you like she tried to stop me?"

"Because the temple of Lolth is warded against teleportation magic... which is why it was such of a surprise when Halaster teleported you right in front of me. I suppose it's possible that the wards are weakening, in Lolth's absence... or perhaps Halaster's magic was merely more powerful than the wards. Regardless, all of the assassins sent against me have been unsuccessful, and after I converted the last one to our cause, the Valsharess has sent no more."

"Speaking of assassins, I suppose I better go and have a word with Matron Myrune," I sighed. "I haven't decided what I'm going to do about her yet, but I think I should talk to her, maybe get a feel of where she is, before I make a decision."

"That sounds like a wise plan," said the Seer, standing. "Know that whatever decision you make, you have my full support. I will not hold anything against you if you should wish to kill Myrune, or if you don't and she later betrays us. Do what your heart tells you is right."

The Seer left, and I put on my boots, and belted my weapons around my waist. Then I looked at myself in the mirror. My long brown hair was neatly in place after Deekin had braided it earlier. My somewhat dented armour was well-polished and clean, and my grey cloak fell down from my shoulders. Deekin was right, I would need to replace the cloak with one of better quality material.

"Ahem," said a voice from closer to the floor. I took Enserric out of his scabbard and sat down on the bed with him across my knee.

"What is it?"

"I couldn't help overhearing your dilemma. I could help you, you know."

"Help me? How?"

"If you decide the Matron needs removing from life, I can help you."

"Of course you can. You're a weapon."

"Yeeees," said Enserric, and I got the feeling that he was planning something. "So, are we going to be taking your _delightful_ companions?"

"I suppose. What do you think of them?"

"I don't think you should trust either of them. One's a drow, the other's a tiefling."

"And Deekin?"

"Well... I suppose he's trustworthy _enough_. I mean, he begged to be allowed to come with you to this cesspit of corruption, right? A sure sign of a true friend. Or a bonafide lunatic."

"Well, since you're here with me, I guess we all get to be lunatics together."

"True enough," he said. I put him back in his scabbard and went to look for my 'delightful' companions.

o - o - o - o - o

I was silent as Nathyrra led me to the main residence of House Maeviir. I was in no mood for talking, and I was glad that the others had the sense to keep their own mouths shut. We stopped in front of a pair of guards.

"Matron Myrune is not accepting visitors," said one of them, running his eyes over myself and my companions.

"She's accepting me," I said, taking Zesyyr's ring and holding it up for him to see.

"Zesyyr gave you that? She's ready to move now?" he asked, his eyes darting franktically around. He lowered his voice and took a step towards me. "Some of the guards inside are still loyal to Matron Myrune. Others are wavering between her and Zesyyr. Those ones won't fight you, but they won't help you, either. Hurry and go inside and we'll summon the Matron. If you act quickly, you can probably kill her and Captain Tebimar before they even realise what's going on."

We were ushered inside the hall and taken to a large room. There were several doors in the room, and each one was guarded by a drow man. I wondered which of them were loyal to Myrune, and which were the waverers. In any case, we didn't have to wait long before an elegant drow woman and a drow warrior were led into the room to stand before me. Here, I found myself at a slight disadvantage. A good indication of a surface elf's age was the colour of their hair; it tended to go white as they aged. In the underdark, most of the drow had silvery-white hair. The woman in front of me could have been a hundred years old, a mere child as far as elves go, or five hundred. I suspected it was closer to the latter; from what I understood, Matron Mothers were rulers of houses. It wouldn't be likely that a young woman would rule.

"Who is this sufacer Tebimar? Why did your guards let her in?" Matron Myrune asked the man beside her. He himself carried a tall scythe, and I sensed an aura of magic around the weapon. He was obviously a capable and seasoned fighter, to be given such a powerful weapon.

"I'm not sure, Matron Mother. Allow me to find out for you." He turned towards me, running a frank eye over me. I knew I wasn't anything much to look at; just another surfacer, as far as he was concerned. Still, he did show some measure of politeness as he addressed me. "Who are you? How did a human female like you get past the guards outside?"

"My name is Sinisalo, I work for the Seer," I explained simply.

"Sinisalo, the Seer's great saviour. I've heard of you. But what business do you have here in the House Maeviir tower? How did you get past the guards?"

"Die, you horrible elven bint!" Enserric cried suddenly from inside his scabbard. Matron Myrune's face twisted with rage, and she raised her hands to cast a spell. At the same time, Tebimar brought his scythe defensively in front of him with the grace of somebody who knows that they can fight and fight well.

I groaned in dismay as my companions leapt into action. This had not been what I wanted! I merely wanted to talk to the Matron, but Enserric had forced my hand. Valen immediately stepped towards Tebimar, swinging his huge flail at the elf. Meanwhile, Nathyrra silenced the Matron with a spell, so that she could not call out or cast magic of her own. Deekin had loaded his crossbow and was firing at the guards who were rushing towards us.

Unhappy with Enserric's behaviour, I left him sheathed in my scabbard, and fell to using my short sword instead. I slashed at the guards as they approached, parried and blocked their blows before attacking again. It wasn't so much a fight as a dance; the most deadly of all dances. But it wasn't a dance that lasted long. The guards had not been expecting our ambush. Even as Nathyrra slit Matron Myrune's throat, and Valen brought his flail down on Tebimar's head, splattering elf blood all over the floor, half of the guards were laying down their weapons. Panting, I checked that Deekin was okay, then turned to face Zesyyr, who had made a sudden entrance as soon as her mother had died.

"Well done, surfacer," said Zesyyr. She handed me a pouch. "This if for your services. The standard contract rate. Twenty thousand gold."

I threw the pouch to Deekin, not wanting anything to do with the drow's blood-money.

"Now I must consolidate my position as head of House Maeviir. The guards will see you out."

And she dismissed me as easily as that. My companions and I were shown to the door, and it was promptly locked behind us. I hoped that any change would prove to be for the better.

"Come on," I said to my friends. "Let's go and speak to this... Cavallas. I don't want to stay in Lith My'athar any longer. This place makes me sick."


End file.
